Annie Savery came to the U.S. as a young girl from her home in London. She was a self-educated woman who taught herself to read and write in both English and Spanish. She was called sharp-witted and brilliant by her peers. In 1853 she married a man by the name James Savery who was a businessman in New York. The following year the couple came to call Des Moines home, at this time Des Moines’ population was around 1,500 people. Soon after moving in, James bought a small log hotel in Des Moines, which Annie spent much of her time helping to manage. This small hotel became so successful it allowed James the money to get into the real estate business and buy a few more hotels in the area, becoming known as the Savery Hotels. From this business the family obtained a worth of around $250,000 ($3.5million today).
Savery’s biggest contributions came in the 1860s when she got involved with the Iowa Woman’s Suffrage Association. In 1870 she helped found the state suffrage association and established Iowa’s first women’s suffrage society in Polk County. At this same time she served on the executive board for the National Woman’s Suffrage Association. While she served; the association was under huge pressure due to their new ideas about woman’s freedoms. During this time when several other suffrage members kept quiet, Savery spoke her mind and didn’t back down. Annie Savery was a clear thinker and hard worker for what she believed was right and fair when it came to the rights women should have.
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