Biographical Database of Militant Woman Suffragists, 1913-1920

Biography of Lottie Halper, 1883-1969

By Ryan Linthicum, Smithsonian Institution

Miss Lottie Halper was a suffragist arrested during the March 4, 1919 rally at the Metropolitan Opera House in Manhattan.

Organized by the National Woman's Party, the demonstration in front of the Metropolitan Opera House, where President Wilson was to speak in support of the League of Nations, attracted more than 200 women. Women from around the country attended, including supporters from Boston, North Carolina and Texas. Carrying signs that read "Mr. President, how long must women wait for suffrage?" the women rallied in front of the building before police and soldiers disrupted the protest. Many women were beaten with clubs; some were knocked unconscious. Some women were arrested, including Alice Paul and Lottie Halper, but were later released and returned to the rally.

Lottie Halper was born Zlota Helfer on April 22, 1883 in Rockoff, Russia. She immigrated to the United States in 1905 on the SS Vaderland with her brother Samuel and his wife Gretta. At the immigration port, her name was changed to Lottie Halper. She lived with her family in the Bronx, New York, where she worked as a dressmaker. She became a naturalized citizen on December 12, 1932. Lottie Halper did not marry and died in April 1969 at the age of 86.

Sources:

New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1915; Election District: 08; Assembly District: 34; City: New York; County: Bronx; Page: 15.

"Says Suffs Hit by Police and Soldiers." Boston Daily Globe. March 7, 1919. 3.

Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File.

Soundex Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts located in New York City, 1792-1989. New York, NY, USA: The National Archives at New York City.

"Suffs Fight in Street to Burn Wilson Speech.: New York Herald. March 5, 1919. 1.

"Suffrage Fires Pursue Wilson; Row in New York.: Chicago daily Tribune. March 5, 1919. 2.

"Suffrage Women Fight Policemen at Metropolitan." The Atlanta Constitution. March 5, 1919. 1.

"Suffragists Say Police Hit Them." New York Times. March 6, 1919. 9.

The National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Petitions for Naturalization from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1897-1944; Series: M1972; Roll: 807.

The National Archives at Philadelphia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; NAI Title: Declarations of Intention for Citizenship, 1/19/1842 - 10/29/1959; NAI Number: 4713410; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: 21.

"6 Anti-Wilson Suffragists Are Arrested Here." New York Tribute. March 5, 1919. 1.

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