Driving the Vote for Women: An American Journey for Suffrage

"I'd like to see any man do better than we did on this trip." - Alice Burke

In 1916, Alice Burke and Nell Richardson embarked on a daring and unprecedented cross-country journey advocating for women’s suffrage. Before the nineteenth amendment enshrined American women’s right to vote in 1920, it was legal only in a few states. So trailblazing suffragists Alice and Nell loaded a Saxon automobile and embarked on a state-by-state campaign for women’s voting rights. Long before the modern highway system streamlined car travel, Alice and Nell drove a grueling 10,700 miles over twenty-six weeks, traversing some of the roughest roads in America. Backed by the Saxon Motor Car Company―one of the original Detroit automakers―and fueled by their own unwavering spirits, Alice and Nell advocated for women’s suffrage in every town along the way. Author Jeryl R. Schriever shares the remarkable story of the first women to ever drive across the country and back, paving the way for generations of women to follow.

Jeryl R. Schriever began her interest in Saxon Motor Cars in 2011 when touring in a 1914 Saxon roadster through the hills of eastern Pennsylvania. Combining her knowledge of automotive history and the suffrage movement, the fascination of the Alice and Nell story became compelling.

As a member of the Society of Automotive Historians Jeryl has edited and written for several national automobile magazines. At present she serves as the president of the board of the Seal Cove Automobile Museum, a prominent collection of brass era motor cars on the coast of Maine. She received her degree in landscape architecture from SUNY at Syracuse University in 1969. Her career has included work in museum education, exhibit design, and historic restorations.

The mother of two, she and her husband, Alex Huppé, live in Castine Maine and Sarasota Florida. They tour vintage cars year round.