Scope and Content Note
The records of the Woman's Party Corporation span the years 1918-1998 with the bulk of the material concentrated between 1985 and 1995. The records relate primarily to litigation between the Woman's Party Corporation and its parent group, the National Woman's Party (NWP), a suffrage and women's rights organization created by Alice Paul in 1916. In 1977, the NWP created the Woman's Party Corporation as a 501(c) organization, which could collect tax deductible contributions to finance the party's educational activities, including maintenance of the historic Sewall-Belmont house museum, which served as the party's headquarters. In 1992, an Internal Revenue Service investigation revealed that the tax-exempt corporation was providing funds to the National Woman's Party without proof that the money was being used for educational purposes rather than lobbying activities. At the same time, the party's executive board attempted to dissolve the corporation and appropriate its assets. The corporation filed suit in the District of Columbia Superior Court, and the party responded with a countersuit claiming breach of fiduciary responsibility. In 1997 the litigants reached an out-of-court settlement by which the corporation was dissolved and the party ceased its decades-long lobbying activities and became a non-profit, nonpolitical, educational organization eligible for 501(c) status.
The corporation's records are arranged in three series: National Woman's Party Files, Woman's Party Corporation v. National Woman's Party, and Miscellany. The National Woman's Party Files contain photocopied material obtained during the discovery process of the lawsuit, including the organization's bylaws and incorporation documents, correspondence, convention material, financial records, membership data, minutes, and publicity.
The Woman's Party Corporation v. National Woman's Party series includes affidavits, background information, complaints, depositions, exhibits, interrogatories, motions, pleadings, and other legal documents relating to the case. Some of the background material contains the organizational records of the Woman's Party Corporation. Negotiations regarding the settlement agreement are also documented.
Miscellany contains depositions and other material from several lawsuits related to the Woman's Party Corporation v. National Woman's Party suit.