Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists, 1890-1920
Biography of Mamie Delinda Bourquin Hicks, 1873-1958
By Kelly Blessinger, Head of Access Services, LSU Libraries
Charter Member and Chair, Shreveport Suffrage League
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1873, Mamie Bourquin Hicks was an active participant in the suffrage movement in Louisiana. On April 30, 1902, she married Samuel Bailey Hicks, a successful businessman, philanthropist, civic and religious leader. They had one son, Samuel Bailey Hicks Jr. Mamie. Hicks lived at 416 Travis Street, in downtown Shreveport from her marriage until her death. A guest record kept at the house indicated that many important and influential people visited the Hicks' home. Mamie was active with social clubs such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Women's Democratic Club, and the Women's Department Club, while also remaining active in local, state, and national politics throughout her life.
In April, 1913, a group of women organized in Shreveport and officers were elected for an organization later to named the "Shreveport Suffrage League." Mamie was active in leadership and attended regular monthly meetings of this group from that point forward. In 1915, she was listed as the chair, and as membership grew, they coordinated with the national suffrage movement. By June, 1916, the group had grown to 201 members, 40 of whom were men. The group continued to fundraise for the movement and to engage in dialogue regarding suffrage with the state's politicians. Once the 36th state (Tennessee) voted for women's right to vote, suffrage was officially ratified. The Shreveport suffrage group held a parade in August, 1920 to celebrate and the Shreveport Suffrage League ceased to need to exist.
Mamie's husband, Samuel Bailey, died on April 17, 1925. Two years later, her son, Samuel Bailey Jr., graduated from Princeton with honors. Mamie was well known in Shreveport, and was an active lover and patron of culture and the arts. She was a pianist and studied music in Nashville, Tennessee, and at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She was a benefactor to many charitable causes including the Shreveport Symphony and an annual scholarship for piano studies in her name. Known as "young in spirit" even in her later years, Mamie died at the age of 84 in 1958, and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Sources:
"Election of Officers for the Colonial Dames of America." The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) · Thu, Apr 25, 1912 · Page 5
"Mrs. W. E. Wallace is First President: Suffrage League Organizes and Adopts Title." The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) · Fri, Apr 18, 1913 · Page 2
"Just as it Happens." by Edith Brown Bailie, The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) · Thu, Jun 15 1916 · Page 6
"Woman Suffrage." The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) · Sun, Nov 3, 1918 · Page 23
"Suffragettes Stage Parade to Celebrate." The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) · Mon, Aug 23, 1920 · Page 1
"Outstanding Citizen Dies: Samuel Bailey Hicks." The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) · Sat, Apr 1925, Sat · Page 1
"Out of Town Society." The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) · Sun, May 29 1927 · Page 23
"Coed Awarded Mamie Hicks Scholarship." The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) · Sun, Sep 25, 1955 · Page 53
"Mrs. Hicks Dies at 84; Rites Today." The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) · Sun, Feb 16, 1958, · Page 9
Photo: Mamie Hicks, 1890
October 22, 1890
Shreveport, Louisiana
Photo of Mamie Delinda Bourquin taken at her sister Julia's wedding in Shreveport, Louisiana. Mamie was the daughter of Gustave Adolphe Bourquin and Margaret Lavinia Iler Bourquin, and the wife of Samuel Bailey Hicks Sr. From Ancestry.com, the Carlton-Moffitt family tree