suffragent

Definitions

A male supporter of women’s right to vote in the early 20th century.

historical

Examples

“The “suffragent” comes in for his share⟳ of criticism. The “Hospital” states: “We cannot view⟳ with satisfaction the adherence of certain individuals of the opposite sex whose function seems to be that of ‘complemental male,’ as among the crustacea.[…]””

““Are there any suffragents among fowls or birds?” asked Mr. [Ross] Agnew. / “What are they?” Mr. Robinson inquired. / “Male birds that do the chores about the house, the cooking and all that.” / “Oh, yes,” replied Mr. Robinson. “The male robin is a suffragent. Mrs. Robin makes him help⟳ out in the hatching very frequently, and instead of sporting around on the lawns the old man has to cover⟳ the eggs and keep⟳ them warm while Mrs. Robin attends meetings.” Whereupon another vote⟳ was taken on the suffragist question⟳ and the women lost again.”

“Was their participation as “suffragents” lost in recall⟳ because of the fullness of the subsequent twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty years in most of their lives? Or was the downplaying deliberate, a postchivalrous response to obscure their role in the great women’s epic, as good allies should; that certainly has been the effect. It would be consistent with the League’s performance throughout the period of its existence that the men preferred to stay⟳ in the historical shadows.”

“Other suffragists (like⟳ Susan B. Anthony and Alva Vanderbilt Belmont) and “suffragents” helped make⟳ the referendum a reality here. Ms. [Elaine] Weiss called New York “the linchpin” that put⟳ our country on the path to pass⟳ the 19th Amendment in 1920, granting women across the United States the right to vote⟳.”

CEFR level