Lawther, a native of Dubuque, served as president of the Iowa Equal Suffrage Association during the pivotal years of 1916 through 1919. Widely respected for her charitable and political efforts, she was a woman of many firsts and many honors:
First woman delegate from Iowa to the Democratic National Convention in 1920. Also a delegate to the 1924 Democratic National Convention
First woman to deliver a convocation address at the University of Iowa, in 1940
Awarded honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Morningside College, in 1927
Honored with a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Dubuque, in 1936
Lawther Hall, a women’s residence hall on the UNI campus, was named in her honor, in 1940
Lawther Hall, a residence hall at the University of Northern Iowa, named for Anna B. Lawther.
