The History of the Fort Leavenworth Spouses Club

The Fort Leavenworth Spouses' Club, originally the Fort Leavenworth Women's Club, was founded in 1920 by Elizabeth Schenck Smith, the daughter of a Civil War veteran and wife of a US Army officer. During her residence at Fort Leavenworth from 1919-1921, Mrs. Smith gathered a group of Army wives to determine their eligibility to vote after the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. The ladies discovered they were ineligible to vote due to their residing on a US government installation. The Women's Club at Fort Leavenworth actively pursued the goal of securing voting rights for all Army wives. The Fort Leavenworth Spouses' Club is one of the oldest spouses clubs on any US Army installation. Today, the Fort Leavenworth Spouses' Club continues to provide support and assistance to the needs of the military community at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

General information: Board meetings are mandatory for Board Members and are held the first Wednesday of every month in The Smith House, 9:00am-11:00am.

The Smith House is the home of the Fort Leavenworth Spouses Club and contains photos and historic information from some of the many years the group has been running. For parties and special events, the FLSC offers The Smith House for rent to all members.