Marian de Forest (February 27, 1864 – February 17, 1935) was an American journalist, playwright, major force in the progressive women's movement, and founder of Zonta (later

Zonta International Zonta International is an international service organization with the mission of advancing the status of women.Alan Axelrod, ''International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders'', New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1997, p. 271. H ...

), a service organization of women professionals. She was inducted into the

National Women's Hall of Fame The National Women's Hall of Fame (NWHF) is an American institution incorporated in 1969 by a group of men and women in Seneca Falls, New York, although it did not induct its first enshrinees until 1973. As of 2021, it had 303 inductees. Induc ...

in 2001.

Biography

She graduated from

Buffalo Seminary Buffalo Seminary (SEM) is an independent, private, college preparatory day and boarding school for girls in Buffalo, New York, United States. SEM is secular and non-uniform. Accreditations and memberships SEM is an accredited member of the N ...

in 1884. Thereafter, she became one of the first female reporters in Western New York State and wrote for ''

The Buffalo Evening News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It recently sold its headquarters to Uniland Development Corp. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by W ...

'' and then with ''

The Buffalo Commercial ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. As a leading playwright, she supported women's role in the theater. De Forest also co-founded the Buffalo Musical Foundation, thereby bringing the American Opera Company to Western New York. She also played a prominent role in the formation of the

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York led by Music Director JoAnn Faletta. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Each season it p ...

. In 1919, she founded Zonta, "a service organization of executive women working to improve the legal, political, economic and professional status of women worldwide." ''Zonta'' is a Lakota Sioux Indian word that means "honest and trustworthy." In one of her early speeches, de Forest explained, "Zonta stands for the highest standards in the business and professional world ... seeks cooperation rather than competition and considers the Golden Rule not only good ethics but good business". De Forest envisioned Zonta to become an international organization. In her own words, "This is the woman's age and in distant lands and foreign climes women of all nations are rallying to the call … Zonta is given the opportunity of uniting them into one great, glorious whole." De Forest's drama papers are in the collection of the

Buffalo History Museum The Buffalo History Museum (founded as the Buffalo Historical Society, and later named the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society) is located at 1 Museum Court (formerly 25 Nottingham Court) in Buffalo, New York, just east of Elmwood Avenue and ...

References

External links

Marian De Forest's adaptation of "Little Women"
{{DEFAULTSORT:de Forest, Marian 1864 births 1935 deaths American dramatists and playwrights Writers from Buffalo, New York American women dramatists and playwrights American women journalists Journalists from New York (state) Buffalo Seminary alumni