At 102, Jerry Emmett, is one of the few people in America who can still remember the excitement of women first gaining the universal right to vote.
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Emmett was born into a progressive time considering Arizona granted women the right to vote in 1912.
She has served as a Democratic delegate at conventions in the past. We visited Emmett’s home in Prescott to hear some centenary wisdom.
Hillary Clinton made history Tuesday when she was officially named the Democratic party, the first woman in history ever to win a major party’s presidential nomination.
“They wanted her to have this moment in the spotlight”, Gutierrez said.
After Congressman Ruben Gallego announced Arizona’s 34 votes for Bernie Sanders, Emmett was handed the microphone.
“All the little old ladies, with their gloves and everything, were so excited”, she said of her mother’s vote in that first presidential election.
And when it came time for her moment, Emmett smiled broadly, waved to the convention crowd and declared that Arizona was casting “51 votes for the next president of the United States of America, Hillary Rodham Clinton”. When a woman becomes president I’ll be very, very pleased.
Emmett told reporters she has a dress ready for Clinton’s inauguration.
Geraldine “Jerry” Emmett, a 102-year-old woman from Arizona, was literally born before women had the legal right to vote; she proudly shouted Hillary’s name during the ‘Zona delegate announcement.
Emmett, a retired teacher, was seen holding a sign at the convention that read: ‘Centenarian for Hillary’.
Since then she has seen women’s roles evolve as well as two World Wars, the civil rights movement, the evolution of technology and now, potentially the first US woman president. Political experts are eyeing the traditionally conservative southwest state as one that might lean towards the Democratic candidate in an election year if the Latino electorate turns forcefully against Republican nominee Donald Trump.
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“He went to hug her”, Hydrick said, and Emmett asked Lewis if he knew a friend of hers.
