June 18, 1873 Susan B. Anthony Fined for Voting

On June 18, 1873, Susan B. Anthony was convicted and fined $100 for voting in the 1872 presidential election. She'd registered at a Rochester barber shop, citing the Fourteenth Amendment as her constitutional right to vote as a citizen. Judge Ward Hunt handed the jury a pre-written guilty verdict, denying any deliberation. Anthony refused to pay the fine as continued protest. There's much more to this landmark story of defiance, conviction, and its lasting impact on American democracy.

Key Takeaways

On June 18, 1873, Susan B. Anthony was convicted and fined $100 plus court costs for illegally voting in the 1872 presidential election.
Anthony had voted in November 1872, citing the Fourteenth Amendment as her constitutional right to vote as a citizen.
Judge Ward Hunt directed the all-male jury to deliver a guilty verdict without deliberation, using a pre-written decision.
Anthony refused to pay the fine as an act of continued civil disobedience, and Judge Hunt avoided ordering her imprisonment.
The case became a landmark moment in women's suffrage history, contributing to the eventual passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.

Why Did Susan B. Anthony Vote in the 1872 Presidential Election?

Susan B. Anthony voted in the 1872 presidential election as a deliberate act of civil disobedience, challenging laws that excluded women from the ballot. She'd spent over 50 years leading the women's suffrage movement, and she wasn't waiting any longer for change.

On November 1, 1872, she registered with her sisters at a Rochester, New York, barber shop converted into a voter registration office. When election inspectors hesitated, she cited the Fourteenth Amendment, arguing it guaranteed women's citizenship and, by extension, voting rights. She even threatened a lawsuit if they refused her registration.

You can see her strategy clearly: she wasn't acting out of ignorance but rather forcing the legal system to confront the contradiction between constitutional principles and women's political exclusion. Just a year earlier, the execution of Thomas Scott by Louis Riel's provisional government had demonstrated how politically charged acts could inflame public opinion and reshape national policy in profound ways.

Why Anthony Was Arrested Under the Enforcement Act of 1870

Her bold move at the polls didn't go unanswered. After Anthony voted in the 1872 presidential election, poll watcher Sylvester Lewis filed a complaint, pulling her act of civil disobedience into federal jurisdiction. U.S. Deputy Marshal E.J. Keeney arrested her on November 18, 1872, charging her under Section 19 of the Enforcement Act of 1870.

The charges carried serious consequences:

Illegal voting by a woman
Federal criminal prosecution
Up to $500 fine
Potential three-year imprisonment
Grand jury indictment on January 24, 1873

Commissioner William C. Storrs held her hearing on November 29, binding her case for trial. Anthony's vote wasn't just symbolic — it triggered a federal legal confrontation that forced the nation to examine women's constitutional rights.

What Anthony's Lawyers Argued at Her 1873 Trial

When Anthony's trial began on June 17, 1873, in Canandaigua, New York, her defense attorney Henry Selden took a clear legal stance: the Fourteenth Amendment granted Anthony the right to vote. Selden's constitutional interpretation centered on Anthony's rights as a U.S. citizen, arguing she'd acted legally when she cast her ballot in November 1872. He testified that he'd personally advised her of that legal right before she voted.

You'd notice that the defense faced an uphill battle against jury bias from the start. Judge Ward Hunt presided over an all-male jury unlikely to favor Anthony's position. Despite Selden's compelling arguments, Hunt ultimately dismissed the constitutional interpretation entirely, directing the jury to deliver a guilty verdict without allowing any deliberation. Similarly, the struggle for recognition of marginalized groups' contributions to history has taken many forms, such as the establishment of Louis Riel Day in Manitoba in 2008 to honor the historic role of the Métis people in Canadian provincial history.

How Judge Ward Hunt Directed the Jury Against Anthony

While Selden made his constitutional case, Judge Ward Hunt had already made up his mind. His judicial misconduct shocked the courtroom when he pulled a pre-written decision from his pocket, dismissing Anthony's Fourteenth Amendment argument entirely. He then committed blatant jury coercion by directing the all-male jury to return a guilty verdict without deliberation.

Hunt declared Anthony knew she'd violated New York law and acted intentionally to challenge it.

A judge reading a pre-written verdict before arguments concluded
A jury silenced before speaking a single word
Anthony's face tightening with visible outrage
Defense attorney Selden rising in protest
Jurors exchanging confused, frustrated glances

You can imagine the tension — justice wasn't administered that day; it was manufactured.

The $100 Fine Susan B. Anthony Refused to Pay

On June 18, 1873, the court convicted Susan B. Anthony and sentenced her to a $100 fine plus court costs. She refused to pay, making her defiance a powerful act of civil disobedience. Judge Ward Hunt, aware that jailing her would allow an appeal, deliberately avoided ordering her imprisonment. He also instructed officials not to seize her assets, leaving the fine uncollected.

In July 1873, a deputy marshal confirmed she'd no goods to take. The government never pursued further collection.

Anthony's refusal to pay wasn't just symbolic—it shaped her legal legacy by keeping the constitutional debate alive. Congress reportedly lifted the fine through petition in January 1874, acknowledging the broader questions her case raised about women's citizenship and voting rights. Just six years earlier, Canada's British North America Act had established its own framework for citizenship and governance, reflecting how democratic foundations were being actively debated and constructed across North America during this era.

The Election Inspectors Who Were Jailed for Letting Her Vote

Susan B. Anthony wasn't the only one who faced legal consequences. The election inspectors who allowed her to register and vote also suffered under the poll watchers' complaints.

Here's what happened to them:

Authorities fined each inspector $25 for permitting Anthony's vote
They refused to pay their fines, mirroring Anthony's defiance
Unlike Anthony, some inspectors were actually jailed for their refusal
They'd risked their positions by accepting her registration despite opposition
Their imprisonment highlighted the harsh enforcement targeting anyone supporting women's voting rights

You can see how the government punished not just Anthony but everyone connected to her act. These inspectors paid a steep personal price for upholding what they believed was her constitutional right to cast a ballot.

How Anthony's Conviction Helped Pass the 19th Amendment

Although Anthony's conviction was meant to silence her, it had the opposite effect—fueling decades of activism that ultimately led to the 19th Amendment. Her trial became a defining moment in suffrage strategy, shifting public sympathy toward women's voting rights and exposing the legal system's deep contradictions.

You can trace a direct line from her $100 fine to the amendment's 1920 ratification. Anthony's refusal to pay galvanized supporters nationwide, transforming a courtroom defeat into a powerful rallying cry. She spent her remaining years organizing, speaking, and building coalitions that kept the movement alive.

Congress finally ratified what became known as the "Anthony Amendment" in 1919—47 years after her illegal vote. Her conviction didn't end the fight; it defined it.