Lyda Newman

Biographical Database of Black Women Suffragists

Biography of Lyda, Newman, 1885-?

By Megan Lounsberry, Electronic Resources Librarian, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Suffragist, inventor, community organizer, African American woman

Born in Ohio between 1865 and 1885, Lyda Newman was an African American suffragist and inventor. Though census records reveal she was born in Ohio, she spent her adult years living in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Specific details about her personal life are sparse since so little was recorded about the lives of African American women in the early 20^th century, but much can be ascertained about her in census and voter records, newspapers, and a study of the neighborhood in which she lived.

Most of the existing information on the internet about Lyda states that she was born in 1885; however, census records ranging from 1905-1925 show an inconsistency in her age. For example, in 1905, she's listed as 40 years old, and in the 1925 census, she's listed as 35. Over the years, Lyda's race alternated between mulatto and black. Both terms were often used interchangeably for persons of mixed race heritage on censuses of the time, so it's likely that she was biracial. Her lifelong occupation was hair care as she listed “hair specialist” or “hairdresser” as her profession for each census obtained. This is no surprise since a patent was issued for her in 1898 for the invention of a hairbrush made specifically for African hair. Lastly, Lyda's marriage status was listed as single from 1905-1925, so it appears she never married, which was uncommon for a woman in the early 1900's. Unfortunately, no records containing Lyda's date of death or names for her parents were found.

In 1915, New York held its first vote on the issue of women's suffrage. Lyda played a vital role in organizing her community and canvassing the neighborhood to rally support for the cause. The New York Times reported that Lyda Newman was in charge of the newly opened Negro Suffrage Headquarters and that “many colored women have been asked to play hostess at the new headquarters while Miss Newman goes canvassing among voters in the neighborhood.” Lyda even arranged to close down the street so that mothers could attend meetings at the suffrage center with their children and see them playing outside from the windows. While the vote ultimately failed that year, women's suffrage was finally achieved two years later in 1917, and Lyda appears on the 1924 voter list for the 51^st Election District of New York City.

Census records show that Lyda lived in a historically black neighborhood known as San Juan Hill. The neighborhood was made up mostly of Caribbean immigrants and American-born black migrants from the South. The 1905 census shows that Lyda lived with a family from Barbados, and by 1910, she was living with the Episcopal missionary and priest, John W. Johnson, who founded St. Cyprian Church, a church that served the needs of the immigrant community and worked towards the racial uplift of the black community. The chapel of St. Cyprian was constructed as part of the tenement that Lyda lived in on West 63^rd St., so it's likely she was an active member of the church and a participant in church events and causes.

San Juan Hill saw dark times at the beginning of the 20^th century. A race riot was set off in 1900 after a white police officer was killed by a black man defending his wife. The police officer had been harassing