Annie Arniel

Annie Arniel (May, 1873 – February 9, 1924) was a suffragist and women's rights advocate. Born in Harrington, Delaware, United States, as Anna L. Melvin, she married George Arniel of Canada and was widowed in 1910. Annie played a key role in helping to win the women's vote in the United States. A factory worker, living in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, she was recruited by Mabel Vernon and Alice Paul for membership in the National Woman's Party (NWP). As a member of the Silent Sentinels, she was among the first six suffragists arrested and jailed on June 27, 1917 at the White House. She served a total of eight jail terms for suffrage protesting, including: 3 days June, 1917; 60 days in the Occoquan prison in Virginia, August-September, 1917 for picketing; 15 days for Lafayette Square meeting, and five sentences of 5 days each in January and February, 1919 for the watchfire demonstrations.