Alice Houghton (, Ide; after first marriage, Houghton; after second marriage, Brownlee; August 18, 1849 – August 19, 1920) was a Canadian-born American

broker A broker is a person or entity that arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller. This may be done for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither ...

and

clubwoman The club movement is an American women's social movement that started in the mid-19th century and spread throughout the United States. It established the idea that women had a moral duty and responsibility to transform public policy. While wome ...

. In her era, she had the distinction of being the only women in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

who was actively engaged as a real estate dealer.

Early life and education

Alice A. Ide was born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada, August 18, 1849. Her father was Frederick Ide, an architect. Alice was the fourth in a family of five daughters. In 1853, the family moved to

Mondovi, Wisconsin Mondovi ( ) is a city along the Buffalo River (Wisconsin), Buffalo River in Buffalo County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,777 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is mostly surrounded by the Mondovi (town), Wi ...

, and then to

Durand, Wisconsin Durand ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Pepin County, Wisconsin, United States. Situated on the banks of the Chippewa River approximately from its confluence with the Mississippi River, the city borders the Town of Durand. The populati ...

. In Durand, she received a liberal education.

Career

In 1864, in Durand, she married Horace Eaton Houghton (1835–1897), an attorney of Mondovi, who would later serve in the

Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Washington State Capitol, Legis ...

. They had two children, Harry and Idell. In September 1884, after suffering financial losses, the Houghtons removed to Spokane Falls, Washington. With her husband's health shattered, in the spring of 1887, she commenced speculating in real estate in Spokane. The following year, she opened a real estate office. It was in the days when everywhere in the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. As American settlement i ...

, real estate was "booming", and Houghton achieved a remarkable success, at one time owning property valued at considerably more than a . Her business talents led her into active business life, and she became the head of the successful real estate,

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...

, and

investment Investment is traditionally defined as the "commitment of resources into something expected to gain value over time". If an investment involves money, then it can be defined as a "commitment of money to receive more money later". From a broade ...

brokerage house A broker is a person or entity that arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller. This may be done for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither ...

, Mrs. Alice Houghton & Co., in 1888. Her management was practical and progressive, and her brokerage house was known throughout

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. She was a prudent financier, her business methods were good, and her tact enabled her to compete with men in the arduous field of brokerage. Then came the

panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States. It began in February 1893 and officially ended eight months later. The Panic of 1896 followed. It was the most serious economic depression in history until the Great Depression of ...

, and Houghton's wealth was wiped out almost in a day. For some time prior to the panic, she had been in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, representing Washington as chair of its board of lady managers and superintendent of the woman's department of her State at the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

(1893). Here she had made many friends who had learned to appreciate her business talent, while she took an active and conspicuous part in preparing various novel displays for the exposition, her work as Lady Manager being characteristic of her usual progressive spirit. She at once found a place as manager of the emigration bureau conducted by the Great Northern and

Northern Pacific Northern Pacific may refer to: * Northern Pacific Airways, an upcoming airline * Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference, an NCAA Division I conference * Northern Pacific Hockey League, an American Tier III junior ice hockey league * Northern Paci ...

railroads, the first woman who held such a position in the U.S. or any other country. At the same time, she turned her attention to mining, in which she had previously had some success. After a year and a half, she fitted up an office in Chicago and derived a good income from her mining investments while she devoted herself to the sale of farm lands, mines, and other properties in Washington,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, and

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

. After Mr. Houghton's death in 1897, she made two trips into the Klondike, where again she was financially fortunate. Having once more achieved financial independence, she chose

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

for her new home, not only for its many advantages as a residence city, but regarding it as the mining center of the West. She had interests at several points of Colorado,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and in the Klondike, while she was instrumental in enlisting large sums of money for mining investment. On April 10, 1900, in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, she married Col. Archibald Graham Brownlee (1857-1912), a wealthy miner of Denver. Since this marriage, Houghton appeared somewhat less prominently in active business. She was widowed again in 1912.

Personal life

Houghton was also a clubwoman with large social connections. She was a charter member and first president (1892-93) of the

Sorosis file:Sorosis Club rules.jpg, Sorosis Club rules in 1869Sorosis was the first professional women's club in the United States. It was established in March 1868 in New York City by Jane Cunningham Croly. Origin of the club's name Sorosis is a lati ...

of Spokane. Alice A. Ide Houghton Brownlee died in

, August 19, 1920.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Houghton, Alice 1849 births 1920 deaths Businesspeople from Montreal Emigrants from pre-Confederation Quebec to the United States Businesspeople from Spokane, Washington Clubwomen 19th-century American businesswomen 19th-century American businesspeople Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century