Febb Burn
Febb Burn | |
|---|---|
 Burn at her farm | |
| Born | 1873 |
| Died | 1945 (aged 71–72) |
| Education | U.S. Grant Memorial University |
| Occupation | Schoolteacher |
| Children | 4, including Harry Burn |
Phoebe "Febb" Ensminger Burn (1873-1945) was an American schoolteacher. She is credited with playing a crucial role in ensuring the passing of the 19th Amendment through a letter she sent to her son, then-Tennessee State Representative Harry Burn, resulting in him casting the deciding vote in favor of ratification in Tennessee, the final state needed to ratify the amendment.
Biography
[edit]Burn was born in Mount Verd, Tennessee, in 1873.[1] Little is known about her childhood, but she is known to have graduated the U.S. Grant Memorial University, now Tennessee Wesleyan University, during a time which news site The Persistent described as one in which "academia was a man's domain".[2]
After college, she married James Lafayette Burn, a stationmaster, and worked as a teacher.[2] She had four children, including Harry Burn. After her husband died, she took over managing the family farm in Niota, Tennessee, and was known to be the matriarch of the family. She encouraged her son Harry's interest in politics.[3]
She was said to read three newspapers a day, and was passionate about equal rights, often speaking about the matter at home with her family, including Harry.[4]
During the discussion of the 19th Amendment, which would grant suffrage to women, she encouraged her son to vote in favor of the amendment. However, he had settled against voting for it due to political pressures from his voters.[4]
That year, she heard of a speech by his political mentor, State Senator Herschel M. Candler, that was vehemently racist and anti-suffrage, both things she disapproved of.[4] Because of this, she decided to include a mention in her letter to her son reminding him to vote in favor of suffrage,[5] saying "Hurrah and vote for suffrage and don’t keep them in doubt" and "Don’t forget to be a good boy and help Mrs. Catt".[6] He kept the letter in his pocket on the date he cast the vote, and it is credited with flipping his vote, resulting in him casting the deciding vote in favor of suffrage becoming part of the constitution.[4]
In her son's statement the following day, he cited her as a main reason for his deciding vote, saying: "I knew that a mother's advice is always safest to follow and my mother wanted me to vote for ratification".[7] This resulted in the wife of a former Governor of Louisiana visiting her house, spending four hours trying to convince her to get her son to change his vote. She remained resolute, however, despite this lecturing and her neighbors' pity, stating in an interview: "I am glad he loved me enough to say afterwards my letter had that much influence on him... I don't need any sympathy. I am proud of my son. He has covered himself in glory." [4]
She was the first woman to register to vote in her home county of McMinn County, Tennessee.[4]
Legacy
[edit]The Burn Memorial in Knoxville, Tennessee is a tribute to both her and her son Harry.[8] Her letter is held in the archives of the Knox County, Tennessee Public Library.[9] Her desk is in her county's history museum.[10]
Her alma mater established the Febb Burn Society of Women Philanthropists in her honor.[11]
Tennessee has named every August 18, the day of the vote, Febb Burn Day.[12][13]
She is included in the Broadway musical Suffs,[14] where she sings the song A Letter from Harry's Mother.[15]
References
[edit]- ↑ "A Mother's Letter: Febb Burn and the 19th Amendment". tnmuseum.org. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- 1 2 "19th Amendment History: The Forgotten Life of Febb Burn". The Persistent. 2024-08-20. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ Sims, Elizabeth; Ackerson, Leslie. "Hathburn: The house that witnessed history for women's suffrage, 19th Amendment". WBIR.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mettler, Katie. "A mother's letter, a son's choice and the incredible moment women won the vote". Washington Post. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ "Writer Dr. Rachel Martin Chronicles Life of Febb Burn, Who Wrote the Letter that Changed American History | Belmont University News & Media". news.belmont.edu. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ Terrell, Cynthia Richie (2025-08-22). "Remembering the Mother's Letter That Secured the 19th Amendment". Ms. Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ "Harry T. Burn Newspaper Interview". National Leader in Civic Education Resources | Bill of Rights Institute. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ "Febb and Harry T. Burn". Women's Suffrage Museum - Events & Cultural Center. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ "Letter to Harry Burn from Mother". cmdc.knoxlib.org. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ "Women's Suffrage". www.livingheritagemuseum.org. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ Jackson, Chrisi. "TWU's Contribution to the Nation: Febb Ensminger Burn — The Letter That Changed the Constitution | Tennessee Wesleyan University". www.tnwesleyan.edu. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ Whetstone, Tyler. "Knoxville lawmakers push to honor mother who helped make women's suffrage history". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ "2024 Tennessee Code :: Title 15 - HOLIDAYS (§§ 15-1-101 — 15-2-149) :: Chapter 2 - DAYS OF SPECIAL OBSERVANCE (§§ 15-2-101 — 15-2-149) :: Section 15-2-130 - Febb Burn Day". Justia Law. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ "The vote that led to the 19th Amendment | Constitution Center". National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ "Watch Suffs at Broadway in Bryant Park AND BroadwayCon". New York Theater. 2024-07-25. Retrieved 2026-08-03.