She also writes of her pending release from jail on the first Saturday in November. She took some joy in the fact that even though her release was originally scheduled for Sunday “for meanness” to cause the cancellation of a women’s suffrage “banquet” scheduled for later that same day, the dinner would go on as planned and she would be there as a speaker.
Adams’ jail time in pursuit of the vote was but one chapter in her fight for women’s rights. In 1921, she passed the bar examination and became Norfolk’s second woman qualified to practice law. A Norfolk newspaper’s editorial tribute at the time of her death in 1957 noted that Adams “believed so thoroughly that woman’s place was not only in the home, but also in public affairs, that she became a practicing attorney to prove it to herself and to others.” In one obituary, she was described as a woman of “tremendous vitality. She specialized in fighting for women in the divorce courts and espoused the cause of the underdog throughout her legal career.”
Another editorial tribute notes that Adams helped run the campaign of Sarah Lee Fain of Norfolk, who in November 1923 won election to the Virginia General Assembly as one of the first two women elected to the House of Delegates. Adams was the first woman to run for Norfolk City Council, “believing that women are eminently qualified to take an active part in administrative affairs.” Although unsuccessful in her bid, she continued to push for improvements in the city. Throughout her life, she remained active in civic and cultural affairs and worked tirelessly to establish museums and parks in Norfolk, the city that was her home for 60 years.
As president of the Norfolk branch of the National Woman’s Party in 1920, when women’s suffrage was finally achieved, Adams commented quietly, “Truly we welcome the ship and are exceedingly glad it has landed, but that’s what we knew would happen.” She was an exceptional woman in an exceptional age. As a reporter who interviewed her many years ago put it, Pauline Adams deserves “a vote of thanks” from all women who have the right— hard fought and dearly won— to go to the polls on election day.
Note: Do you have information about historic sites associated with Pauline Adams? Or information about other women in Virginia who were crusaders for important causes like Pauline Adams or who made a difference in the world around them? The Department of Historic Resources would like to know about them, particularly if their story can be told in relation to historic resources or sites in the Commonwealth. To report on other interesting women and associated events or historic sites, please contact: Ann Andrus, Phone: (804) 367-2323, ext. 133; Fax: (804) 367-2391.