Eleanor M. (Chafin) Stockman
(1856-1924)

Eleanor Chafin Stockman was  a member of the Mason City, Iowa school board.  Her brother was Eugene W. Chafin, the 1908 and 1912 presidential candidate of the Prohibition Party.  Mrs. Stockman was married to a local doctor, George Stockman.  They lived in a house previously designed by noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright, which now is a local tourist attraction.  The website for the Stockman house is www.stockmanhouse.org
     The Superintendent of Schools in Mason City in 1883 was Carrie Chapman Catt, the Founder of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, so that may have had an influence on Eleanor. At the 1901 meeting of the national organization, Eleanor was recognized as one of the most successful  fundraisers of the organization through her gift of the proceeds of a carload of hogs donated by Iowa farmers.  She was quite active in getting the vote for women.

Mrs. Stockman was especially involved in the women's suffrage movement.  She not only worked with the local group, but with the state and national organizations as well.  After women received the right to vote, she was recognized as one of 24 women in Iowa for the work by having a tablet with their names on it presented to the Iowa State Capitol. 
     She served two terms on the Mason City School Board and was a trustee of the Mason City library association.  She was an officer of the Iowa state Templars of Honor and Temperance.  In 1920, she chaired "Get Out the Vote" work for the Democrat Party in Iowa's 4th District.

     Thanks to Pat Schultz of Nora Springs, Iowa (22 July 2018) Photo courtesy of Mason City Public Library.

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