Born: 30 September 1876, Philippines
Died: 1 January 1953
Country most active: Philippines
Also known as: Sofia Tiaozon Reyes
The following is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
In 1917, Sofia Reyes de Veyra arrived in Washington, D.C., with her husband who was Resident Commissioner of the Philippines, a U.S. territory from 1898 to 1946. While advocating for Philippine independence and living in D.C., Sofia de Veyra and other Filipinas joined local women’s organizations that supported the American suffrage movement. Upon returning to the Philippines, these pioneering women formed women’s clubs and eventually won the right to vote on April 30, 1937.