Augusta "Gussie" Lewis Troup (1848 – September 14, 1920) was a women's rights activist and journalist who advocated for equal pay, better working conditions for women, and women's right to vote. She was inducted into the

Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame The Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame (CWHF) recognizes women natives or residents of the U.S. state of Connecticut for their significant achievements or statewide contributions. The CWHF had its beginnings in 1993 when a group of volunteers partn ...

in 2013.

Biography

Early life

Born Augusta Lewis in 1848 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, Augusta was orphaned as an infant. She was adopted by Isaac Gager, a wealthy Wall Street broker, and received a private education before attending the Brooklyn Heights Seminary.

Newspaper work

After the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, Augusta Lewis began writing articles for numerous New York papers, including the '' New York Tribune''. She also wrote articles for '' The Revolution'', a suffragist publication run by

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...

and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It was during her time writing for New York papers that she learned typesetting at the ''New York Era'' and ''

New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under pub ...

''. She observed first hand the unequal pay given to female typesetters when the male typesetter's union called a strike in 1867, and women were brought in to replace them for lower pay. The women were later fired when the strike ended and the men returned to work.

Trade union

In 1868, Augusta Lewis founded the Women's Typographical Union (WTU) Location No. 1 in New York City. Organizing a women's labor union allowed her to champion efforts to advocate for better working conditions and fair pay. Using her connection to ''The Revolution'' to advertise, membership quickly grew. In 1869, Augusta represented the WTU at the

International Typographical Union The International Typographical Union (ITU) was a US trade union for the printing trade for newspapers and other media. It was founded on May 3, 1852, in the United States as the National Typographical Union, and changed its name to the Interna ...

conference in Albany, NY. There she successfully lobbied the ITU to allow the WTU to join. In 1870, she was elected corresponding secretary of the ITU, the first woman to hold an ITU office.

Adult life

Augusta Lewis married Alexander Troup, a well-known labor leader, in 1872. After their marriage, the couple moved to

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

, where they founded the ''New Haven Union'', a pro-women's suffrage newspaper dedicated to union organization and the rights of women and other minorities. Together, the couple had seven children. Augusta Lewis Troup began to teach in the New Haven school system and joined the Board of Education to advocate for teachers' rights. She established the New Haven Teachers' League in 1911 and lobbied for state-provided pensions for public school teachers.

Death and legacy

Augusta Lewis Troup died on September 14, 1920. In 1926, New Haven dedicated the Augusta Lewis Troup school in her honor, and re-dedicated it on 19 October 2008. There is a plaque in the foyer of the school that reads as follows:

We affectionately called her "Little Mother of the Italian Colony." Her broad sympathies and unfailing kindness helped us greatly when we most needed wise counsel and loyal friendship. Her liberal spirit and noble example lead us far along the road to a better understanding of American ideals and citizenship.

Footnotes

External links

* Joan Cavanagh
''Augusta Lewis Troup: Worker, Activist, Advocate.''
Introduction by Bill Berndston. New Haven, CT: Greater New Haven Labor History Association, 2008. * Kelly Marino
"A Woman Ahead of Her Time: Augusta Lewis Troup and Local Women's Activism in New York City and New Haven, Connecticut,"
Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era blog, posted September 2019. {{DEFAULTSORT:Troup, Augusta Lewis 1848 births 1920 deaths American suffragists American women's rights activists Journalists from New York City American women journalists Typesetters