Category: Historical (born 1920 or before) / page 13

Frances Willard
Frances Willard


Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard was an American educator, temperance reformer and women's suffragist. Willard became the national president of Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1879, and remained president until her death in 1898. During her lifetime, Willard succeeded in raising the age of consent in many states, as well as passing labor reforms including the eight-hour work day. Her vision also encompassed prison reform, scientific temperance instruction, Christian socialism, and the global expansion of women's rights. Willard was born on September 28, 1839, in Churchville, New York. She graduated […]
Frances “Fannie” Barrier Williams
Frances "Fannie" Barrier Williams


Frances "Fannie" Barrier Williams was an educator and women's rights activist. Williams was born on Feb. 12, 1855, in Brockport, New York. Her father was a profitable businessman, and the family – one of the few African American families in Brockport – associated with the white elites with little discrimination. Williams graduated from Brockport State Normal School (now SUNY-College at Brockport) in 1870, the first African American graduate from that school. After college, Williams taught at a school for Black students in Hannibal, Missouri, where she experienced considerable discrimination. She […]
Mildred Wood
Mildred Wood


Dr. Mildred Hope Fisher Wood was a pioneer who brought special education for learning disabilities to the forefront in Iowa, empowering thousands of students each year to lead productive, respected lives. Born in Alta, Iowa, in 1920, Wood earned a B. A. degree in 1956, a master's degree in 1962, an Ed. S. degree in 1963, all from State College of Iowa; did postgraduate work at Syracuse University and the University of Oregon; and obtained her Doctorate of Education from the University of Indiana in 1970. Wood was a pioneer […]
Victoria Woodhull
Victoria C Woodhull


Victoria Claflin Woodhull was an activist and a leader of the U.S. woman's suffrage movement, and the first female candidate for president of the United States as the nominee for the Equal Rights Party in 1872. Woodhull was born September 23, 1838, in Homer, Ohio. In 1953, at age 15, she married Canning Woodhull and subsequently had two children. Because husband was an alcoholic, Woodhull often worked outside the home to support the family. She divorced her husband in 1864 and married Colonel James Harvey Blood in 1866. Possibly because […]
Frances Wright
Frances Wright


Frances Wright was an social reformer and author. She advocated for universal education, the abolition of slavery, birth control and women's rights. Wright was born September 6, 1795, in Dundee, Scotland. Following the death of Wright's parents when she was two years old, she and her siblings were sent to live with different relatives, with Wright going to live with her aunt and maternal grandfather in England. In 1813, she and a sister moved to Scotland to live with their uncle James Mylne, a strong opponent of slavery. From 1818-1820, […]
Zitkala-Ša
Zitkala-Ša


Zitkala-Ša, also known as Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, was a Native American suffragist, writer and activist. Born Gertie Eveline Felker on February 22, 1876 near the Yankton Agency in Dakota Territory, Zitkala-Ša took her mother’s surname as a young woman and changed her name to Gertrude Simmons. When her sister-in-law accused her of abandoning her Native American heritage, she took the name Zitkala-Ša – which translates into English as “Red Bird” – and used it primarily in her writing, her work with the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, and personal correspondence. […]