One of New Orleans’ most prominent suffrage organizations began as the “Portia Club.” It was founded in 1892 as an auxiliary to the National Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) under the leadership of Caroline E. Merrick.
Like other women’s clubs of the time, this organization provided a forum for elite women to meet and discuss issues. However, the Portia Club specifically aimed to demonstrate their political expertise to men in power.
In 1892, Kate Gordon, her youngest sister Jean, and several other women insisted in focusing more on the suffrage component of Merrick’s cause formed the Era Club, and the two groups subsequently merged. With the Gordon sisters largely at the helm of the organization, the era Club advocated for suffrage to be achieved state by state.
Many members were associated with the states’ right-focused suffrage network the Southern States Woman Suffrage Conference (SSWSC). Although Kate Gordon once served in the national leadership of NAWSA, she eventually stepped down due to ideological disagreements with other leaders, and eventually worked at odds with NAWSA due to its support of federal action on suffrage.