Tacoma suffragist gets new respect

For the past 80 years, a leader in Tacoma’s suffrage movement has been without a headstone.

But no longer.

Virginia Mason, who was a leader in the drive to get women the vote, had lain in an unmarked grave in the Tacoma Cemetery since her death in 1936.

On Friday, a headstone was installed at her grave. The marker was donated by members of the Mary Ball Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Mason served as regent, or president, of the chapter from 1900-1902, according to current vice-regent Lynne Stallcop.

Stallcop learned about Mason’s unmarked grave while researching past chapter regents.

Mason’s 1905 house, which she designed at 2501 N. Washington Ave. in Tacoma, was featured Sunday in The News Tribune. The home was the scene of many meetings for the local suffragist movement.

A formal dedication of the newly marked grave will be held in May, Stallcop said.

This story was originally published March 21, 2016 at 10:59 AM with the headline "Tacoma suffragist gets new respect."