In August 1920 the long struggle for women’s suffrage ended in victory when Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The road the suffragists had traveled had not been an easy one. They had been leading an organized movement demanding the right to vote for at least three quarters of a century.

Their perseverance paid off when, by the slim vote of 49 to 47, the lower house of the Tennessee legislature ratified the proposal. And that tally had come down to the change of heart one legislator had when he decided to support the amendment.

The decisive vote came from Representative Harry Burn who defied the leaders of his Republican Party and switched his vote that summer day and, in so doing, changed the course of history.

Why did he do it? The short answer is: his mother. At 24 years of age, Representative Burn was the youngest member of the Tennessee legislature. He was unmarried and worked for a railroad company.

He also still lived with his mother and two siblings on the family farm. His father and a younger sister had died previously.

Mrs. Burn was the former Febb Ensminger. She had earned a teaching certificate from what is now Tennessee Wesleyan University. In addition to teaching, she still ran the farm she and her husband had operated prior to his death.

Febb Burn was also an ardent feminist. In July 1920 she wrote her son a six-page letter and mailed it to his temporary address in Nashville.

The key part of the missive was this: “Hurrah and vote for Suffrage….Don’t forget to be a good boy and help [with]…ratification.” Representative Burn had that letter in his pocket when the vote for suffrage occurred.

So, at the crucial time, Harry Burn chose his mother’s wishes over those of his party. He also managed to get elected to a second term in the legislature in the November 1920 election. One of the votes he received was cast by Febb Burn.