A Brief History of the Westfield Area League of women Voters

The League of Women Voters was formed in 1920 with the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. Hard on the heels of this the Westfield League of Women Voters was one of the first local Leagues to form in New Jersey. On November 20, 1920, at a meeting in the Washington School auditorium, 57 women joined.

Since that moment, the Westfield League, now the Westfield Area League, of Women Voters has continued, without interruption, to provide the public with information on political and social issues.  At the national, state and local levels, the League has been a leading force for positive change, ahead of public opinion on most issues.

The Westfield League always counted members from Scotch Plains, Fanwood and Mountainside in its ranks, but was not was formally declared the 'Westfield Area' League of Women Voters until 1970.

The public best knows the League for its voter registration efforts and election information service. The first of countless candidates' forums was held in 1921, and the League became widely respected for its expertise in this area.  In the 1940's the Westfield League began distributing annual candidate information sheets to every household in Westfield, and from 1970 in Scotch Plains, Fanwood and Mountainside too. 

Some local issues the Westfield Area League has worked for include: 

• low-cost housing, - beginning in the 1930's and continuing today -;
•  the first of many editions of 'This Is Westfield' was produced in the 1950's
•  in the 1930's the League proposed the formation of an Adult School and Summer Playground program
• from the 1940's to 1970's many editions of 'Know Your Town' and 'Know Your Schools' were published
•  years of tireless effort by the League for reform of Local Government finally bore fruit in the 1967 declaration by the State of the Special Charter for Westfield
•  in the 1960's and 1970's the League studied the Municipal budget, planning and zoning, the library and solid waste

At the County level. Westfield led Union County Leagues:

•  in the publication of 'Know Your County' in the 1940's and 'This Is Union County' in the 1960's
•  in a study of County government in the 1970's
• Statewide, Westfield has joined with Leagues statewide to work toward:
•  revision of the State Constitution in the 1940's
•  tax reform from the 1930's to the present
•  school funding since the 1970's
•  under the leadership of the Westfield League the first 'Citizens' Handbook' was printed in the 1940's

Nationwide, Westfield has worked with the National League to:

•  to promote child welfare reform since the 1920's
•  study corruption and patronage in the 1930's
•  advocate campaign finance reform
•  study unemployment and welfare in the 1970's

League members have traditionally been interested in international issues, and since the 1950's have organized trips to the United Nations in New York City.

The League's history reflects its continuing commitment its founding goal  -- to encourage the active and informed participation of all citizens in government:
? In the 1930's, 40's, and 50's the Westfield League kept the public informed through weekly articles in the Westfield Leader, called 'Letters from Lizzie'.  The Leader also published the schedule of meetings and events until the League started printing its own monthly bulletin in 1944

Membership grew from 57 at that first meeting to more than 200 in the 1950's.
Current membership stands at 50!

Click for More glimpses of the past.
 

 This web page was made possible by Darryl and Debbie Walker