publications

Harriet S. Brooks, Woman Suffragist

Harriet S. Brooks (1828-1888) was the most senior of Nebraska’s woman’s rights activists in the years leading up to 1882. She promoted suffrage in the pages of the Omaha Republican, at one time edited by husband Datus C. Brooks, and in 1880 was one of the founding members of the Nebraska Woman Suffrage Association. College-educated and raised in Michigan, she was active in suffrage activities there and in Illinois before moving to Nebraska. For more information on Brooks and other Nebraska suffragists, see Kristin Mapel Bloomberg’s “‘Striving for Equal Rights for All’: Woman Suffrage in Nebraska 1855-1882,” in the Summer 2009 issue of Nebraska History.

Harriet met her husband in Albion, Michigan, where both attended college. Datus Brooks after two years, enrolled at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. After graduation in 1856, Brooks was hired as an assistant professor of rhetoric and English literature and later was appointed librarian. Datus and Harriet were married on September 7, 1858. During their time in Ann Arbor, Harriet became active in the suffrage movement in Michigan. She contributed articles to various newspapers and worked to get women admitted to the state university at Ann Arbor.

In 1864 Datus Brooks resigned his position and took a job as a literary and music critic for the Times in Chicago. Once settled in Chicago, Harriet continued her activities in the suffrage movement, serving as secretary for both the Cook County Woman’s Franchise Association and the Illinois Woman’s Suffrage Association. She also served as a delegate to the third annual National Woman Suffrage Association convention in 1870. Harriet continued to promote women’s right to vote in Illinois until 1876 when Datus became editor of the Omaha Republican and the couple moved to Omaha.

Harriet continued her suffrage activities in Nebraska, contributing numerous articles to the Republican. She was one of the founding members of the Nebraska Woman Suffrage Association, established on May 30, 1880. On February 17, 1882, she made an address before the Nebraska Legislature entitled, “What Impartial Suffrage Means.” Brooks was also an active member of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, serving as chairman of the Department of Botany and Vegetable Physiology.

As a result of Nebraska’s failure to pass a constitutional amendment establishing woman suffrage in 1882, Brooks, perhaps out of frustration, retired from suffrage work and turned to “the congenial study of sociology.” She died after a prolonged battle with cancer on June 22, 1888.

Harriet S. Brooks and other woman suffragists such as Clara Bewick Colby (left) were discussed in Kristin Mapel Bloomberg’s article in the Summer 2009 issue of Nebraska History.

Become a Member!

Our members make history happen.

Join Now

Other Publications

The Bachelors’ Protective Union of Kearney

When the Bachelors' Protective Union gave a gala reception for two of its newly married, former members and their brides in March of 1890, the social club for young, ...

U.S. Weather Bureau in 1890s Nebraska

The U.S. Weather Bureau was established by an act of Congress on October 1, 1890. It took over the weather service that had been established in the office of the Chief ...

Canning the Way to Victory

During American participation in World War I the U.S. Food Administration, under the direction of Herbert Hoover, launched a massive campaign to persuade Americans to ...

The Shoemaker’s Ashes

"Edward Kuehl, one of the most peculiar characters that ever lived in Omaha, or anywhere else, was found dead in his bed last night in the back room of his place of ...

Crazy Horse Surrender Ledger Foreward

Red Dog, an Oglala Lakota who lived at the Red Cloud Agency, Nebraska, 1876-77 (Nebraska State Historical Society RG2955.ph).   In the summer of 1876, following the ...

Darryl F. Zanuck

Darryl F. Zanuck Darryl F. Zanuck (1902-1979), a native Nebraskan, produced some of Hollywood's most important and controversial films. He helped found 20th Century Fox ...

The Burlington’s Profitable Pork Special

Nebraska railroads were much concerned with developing an adequate economy in the areas they served. The Burlington, for example, had a long history of caring for the ...

Bungalow Filling Stations

After the giant Standard Oil Company was broken into thirty-four separate companies in 1911, the newly independent Standard Oil of Nebraska dominated the state's market ...

The Bull Fight

This is the perfect time of year for a visit to the old fishin' hole. But a group of fisherfolk from Plainview discovered that this bucolic pastime sometimes has ...

Buffalo Soldiers West

African-American soldiers on the western frontier are the focus of an exhibit at the Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln. Buffalo Soldiers West, on loan from the Colorado ...

Protection for Buffalo

The extermination of the buffalo on the Plains occurred largely between 1870 and 1885. The Nebraska State Journal of Lincoln on February 1, 1874, editorialized in vain ...

Buffalo Hunting

In late October 1877 young Rolf Johnson and three friends left their homes in Phelps County, Nebraska, for a buffalo hunt in northeastern Colorado. The hunt was not very ...

About NSHS

The Nebraska State Historical Society was founded in 1878 by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed NSHS from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director Cindy Drake. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for NSHS.

Explore Nebraska

Discover the real places and people of our past at these NSHS sites.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of NSHS members.

NSHS Education

Learn more about the educational programs provided at our museums, sites, and online.

Education Digital Learning Resources

Find games, lists, and more to enhance your history education curriculum.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast!

Nebraska Collections

NSHS's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

NSHS's Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

NSHS Services

Digital Resources

Find all of our digital resources, files, videos, and more, all in one easy-to-search page!

Support The Historical Society

Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to the Nebraska State Historical Society help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of NSHS.

Volunteers are the heroes of NSHS. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.