Bella Lehman, Woman Candidate for Board of Education

Even though women did not legally get the right to vote until August 26, 1920, on occasion women ran for an elected position. On Tuesday, November 2, 1909, Bella Lehman’s name appeared on the ballot as an independent candidate for the Board of Education of Sandusky City Schools.

Bella Lehman pledged to local parents that she had no partisan principles, and that her interests were in the “welfare of our children and the cause of proper education, under normal, healthful and moral conditions.”

The Sandusky Register of November 3, 1909 listed the winners of the race for School Board as Paul H. Sprow, H. H. Lockwood, Chris J. Strobel, and Lee B. Kellar.

Bella Lehman died in Hollywood, California. An obituary for Mrs. Lehman appeared in the September 22, 1938 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal. Mrs. Lehman had been active in charitable work during the years she spent in Sandusky, giving freely of her time to aid stranded Americans in Germany. She worked towards establishing the Women’s Building and Rest Room Association in Sandusky, and was a member of the Business Women’s Club and the Community Chest. After the death of her husband Henry L. Lehman, Bella moved to Europe and was connected with the U.S. Embassy in Germany. She moved to California in 1929, and lived there until the time of her death in September, 1938. Bella Lehman was survived by three children, Mrs. Jack Zinkand, Mrs. Ralph Freeman, and Henry L. Lehman, Jr., all of California.

See an earlier blog post to read more about Women’s Suffrage in Sandusky.