National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies

The groups united under the leadership of Millicent Fawcett, who was the president of the society for more than twenty years.

In 1903 the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU, the "suffragettes"), who wished to undertake more militant action, split from the NUWSS.

For the 1906 general election, the group formed committees in each constituency to persuade local parties to select pro-suffrage candidates.

The Liberal government relied on the nationalist Irish Parliamentary Party for a majority and was insistent that time was given instead to the passage of another Irish Home Rule bill and the Unionist Speaker, Sir James Lowther, opposed votes for women.

In 1912 the NUWSS established the Election Fighting Fund committee (EFF) headed by Catherine Marshall.

In 1919, the NUWSS renamed itself as the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship and continued under the leadership of Eleanor Rathbone.

In 2022 English Heritage announced that the NUWSS would be commemorated with a blue plaque at site of their headquarters in Westminster during the years immediately before the passing of the Representation of the People Act 1918.