The Chicago Woman's Club was formed in 1876 by women 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 ...

who were interested in "self and social improvement." The club was notable for creating educational opportunities in the Chicago region and helped create the first

juvenile court Juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal systems, chi ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The group was primarily made up of wealthy and middle-class white women, with

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

s and university

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

s playing "prominent roles." The club often worked towards social and educational reform in Chicago. It also hosted talks by prominent women, including artists and

suffragists Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

. The Chicago Woman's Club was responsible for creating the first Protective Agency in the United States that dealt with assault and rape of women. The group was active in reform of the Cook County Insane Hospital and of other health reforms. They helped establish the first kindergartens and nursery schools in Chicago. Later, the club became involved with both the

woman's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffrage was in effect during ...

movement and also with promoting

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

. The club met until 1999, when the group dissolved. Assets of the club went to support scholarships and other philanthropic endeavors.

History

The Chicago Woman's Club was first formed in 1876, on May 17. In 1885, the club incorporated, and changed the name officially to the Chicago Woman's Club. The founder of the group was Caroline Brown, who suggested to friends that they form a group in order to socialize and associate. By 1877, the club was written up in the ''

Woman's Journal ''Woman's Journal'' was an American women's rights periodical published from 1870 to 1931. It was founded in 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts, by Lucy Stone and her husband Henry Browne Blackwell as a weekly newspaper. In 1917 it was purchased by ...

'' and had approximately thirty members, many of which were active in

social reform Reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary movements which reject t ...

and in

literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, plays, and poems. It includes both print and digital writing. In recent centuries, ...

and

philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

circles. The kind of self-improvement study that the club was involved with was "often as demanding as a first year college curriculum." The education provided by the club was, at the time, one of the only ways most women could pursue a "post graduate education." The Chicago Woman's Club organized itself into six main committees: Reform, Philanthropy, Home, Education, Art and literature and Philosophy and science. Each member of the club was required to serve on at least one committee. The club's officers were not all members of the Chicago Woman's Club. Instead, half of the officers were members and the other half came out of other Chicago club organizations. Membership was exclusive and new members had to be sponsored by current members, "and their acceptance into the club was often dependent on the importance of their sponsor." The members of the club initially met at Brown's house. In 1877, they rented rooms in the Chicago Literary Club on Monroe Street. Later, they started to meet at the

Palmer House Palmer House may refer to: In the United Kingdom * Palmer House, Great Torrington, an 18th-century house in Devon In the United States Items in this section are alphabetized by state, then city. * Palmer House (Blackton, Arkansas), listed on th ...

, and Grand Pacific. In 1894, the club had moved into the Potter Building, and to mark the occasion, they held a reception, where for the first time men were also invited to attend. Later, in 1916, the club would vote against allowing an "Associate Membership" for men. The club had a new location on Michigan Avenue in 1929, and also during that year again considered creating an "Associate Membership" for men. The building on Michigan Ave. was six stories high and designed by

Holabird & Roche The architect, architectural firm now known as Holabird & Root was founded in Chicago in 1880. Over the years, the firm has changed its name several times and adapted to the architectural style then current — from Chicago school (architectu ...

along with engineer Frank E. Brown. This building is now part of Columbia College. The group increased from 30 to 60 members in 1881. By 1894, there were 600 members. In 1896, the club had increased to 730 members. In 1901, there were 900 members, increasing to 1,000 by 1906, and to 1,200 members in 1921. Annually, the Chicago Woman's Club produced a large

yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of Annual publication, a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually ...

which described the activities of the club over the past year. The club's

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

was "'' Humani nihil a me alienum puto."'' On May 25, 1892, they adopted the official colors for the club of ivory white and gold. In 1876, the club admitted the first

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

women, Henriette and Hannah Solomon. The first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

member of the club was

Fannie Barrier Williams Frances Barrier Williams (February 12, 1855 – March 4, 1944) was an American educator, civil rights, and women's rights activist, and the first black woman to gain membership to the Chicago Woman's Club. She became well known for her effo ...

. She went through a difficult approval process which caused dissension in the club. In 1895, the club voted not to exclude anyone based on race. She was finally made a member in 1896. In 1894, a club for African American women which was based on the Chicago Woman's Club was organized. In 1901, the club faced a difficult time when an anonymous letter was sent which accused member, Mrs. Robert Farson, of "financial dishonesty." Farson, and others accused, demanded an investigation. Handwriting analysis indicated that the person sending the letter was "No.75," a designation that would have been obvious to club members. Other possible members may have been those designated as "70 and 76." The discovery committee later decided that the letter writer was

Alice Bradford Wiles Alice Bradford Wiles (February 16, 1853 – February 20, 1929) was an American clubwoman based in Chicago, Illinois. She was active at the national level with the Daughters of the American Revolution and at the state level as president of the Illi ...

, who both disputed the accusation and threatened to sue the club for "slander and damages."

Reform

The Chicago Woman's Club started engaging with various social reforms around the mid 80s. Club members were moved by families who endured difficult working conditions and by children who were forced to work for their families. Starting in January 1896, some club members held monthly meetings to study laws that affected or were about women and children. The Chicago Woman's Club became involved in the Cook County Insane Hospital, where they supported Delia Howe become the assistant physician. The Chicago Women's Club also made the case that further appointments should be women after Howe left and asked them to appoint and maintain Harriet C. B. Alexander to the open position. The club continued to work towards improvements for female inmates at the hospital, conducted visits and monitored the status of the hospital, reporting on violations. They even submitted in 1886, a proposed amendment to the laws for the care of the insane and common criminals. Most of these duties were carried out by the club's Reform Committee. In 1893, the Reform Committee was still involved with helping to improve the hospital. It had secured enough food and clothing for those inside the Insane Hospital by 1904. The Chicago Women's Club was also involved with asking for a general hospital to treat those with "infectious diseases." The club worked towards the establishment of such a hospital for many years. The Reform Committee also worked to create a Children's Hospital Society of Chicago. In 1909, the club suggested a way to improve medical staffing at the county jail. The Chicago Woman's Club was active in other health-related issues. The club promoted advertisements against

spitting Spitting is the act of forcibly ejecting saliva, sputum, nasal mucus and/or other substances from the mouth. The act is often done to get rid of unwanted or foul-tasting substances in the mouth, or to get rid of a large buildup of mucus. Spi ...

in the city of Chicago, and were also in support of anti-cigarette

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred ...

. The club pledged $11,343 to support the cancer seal campaign in 1930. The club was an early promoter of cancer education. They were involved with helping to appoint a night matron at the jail in 1884. The night matron would look after women and children who were prisoners in the jail. Chicago Women's Club members, Ellen Henrotin and Sara Hackett Stevenson, were instrumental in creating a Protective Agency for Women and Children in 1886. This Protective Agency was the first in the country to protect wives who were victims of

assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or consent, unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may ...

and

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

. The club provided legal aid for women facing various issues, provided lawyers to those who could not afford them, and often "appeared in court on behalf of rape victims." In 1897, the Protective Agency merged with the Bureau of Justice, but "the women asked for and received sole jurisdiction over the cases affecting women and children." The Protective Agency again moved into a different merger with the Legal Aid Society of Chicago in 1905. Also in 1905, the club petitioned Illinois state about a proposed amendment to protect children under the crimes act. The work of committee members such as

Julia Lathrop Julia Clifford Lathrop (June 29, 1858 – April 15, 1932) was an Americans, American social reformer in the area of education, social policy, and children's welfare. As director of the United States Children's Bureau from 1912 to 1922, she was th ...

Jane Addams Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860May 21, 1935) was an American Settlement movement, settlement activist, Social reform, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, philosopher, and author. She was a leader in the history of s ...

and Lucy Flower influenced the creation of the Illinois Juvenile Court Law of 1899, creating the first

in the country. The club helped pay the salaries of the probation officers who would later work in the court. Prior to creating a juvenile justice system, "bad kids" in Chicago were arrested on spurious charges and left in jails with adults with no legal recourse. In 1929, the Chicago Woman's Club, along with other organizations funded a study of "behavior problems of delinquent boys." In 1915,

Rachelle Yarros Rachelle Slobodinsky Yarros (May 18, 1869March 17, 1946) was an American physician who supported the use of birth control and the social hygiene movement. A graduate of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, Yarros resided at Hull House for ...

convinced the Chicago Woman's Club to create a birth control committee. By 1916, the club was addressing issues of

. The discussion of

contraceptives Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

was controversial, and also could have resulted in the arrest of those promoting it, since laws were still on the books preventing the dissemination of information about birth control. The club also held a birth control conference, where James A. Field presented information on the subject. Yarros was appointed by the Chicago Woman's Club as the chair of the Chicago Citizen's Committee which created the

Illinois Birth Control League The Illinois Birth Control League (IBCL) was an organization created by the Chicago Citizens' Committee and the Chicago Woman's Club, to provide information and education about birth control. Later, the organization helped create the first birth ...

. The league opened various clinics in Chicago in the 1920s, despite laws against allowing information about birth control in the city. The Chicago Woman's Club was also involved in the

movement. In 1894, the group created the Chicago Political Equality League. The Political Equality League was considered a "conservative" group and it worked to "dispel the bogy of the

anti-suffragists Anti-suffragism was a political movement composed of both men and women that began in the late 19th century in order to campaign against women's suffrage in countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. To ...

, to show the world that one can be a believer in votes for women and still be essentially feminine, be charming perhaps, and agreeable." The group also hosted talks about suffrage, and had suffragists, such as Susan B. Anthony, speak at the club. Environmental concerns were also important to the club. Members spoke out against the killing of wild birds for the feathers used in fashionable women's clothing. In 1905, they supported a measure to preserve natural areas in Illinois.

Education

The Chicago Woman's Club was involved in many educational efforts. Some of these, like advocating for children's schooling in prisons, were tied into their other reform efforts. Early on, the club petitioned Mayor Roche to appoint women to vacancies in the Board of Education in Chicago in 1887. Later, the club nominated five women to the school board in 1890.

Ada Celeste Sweet Ada Celeste Sweet (23 February 1853 – 17 September 1928) was an American reformer and humanitarian originally from the U.S. state of Wisconsin, but subsequently from Illinois. POTUS, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed her United States agent f ...

was appointed to the Board of Education in 1892, and the club urged the confirmation of her appointment. As an example to the Chicago Board of Education, in 1898 the club cleaned one of the schools from "attic to basement" as an example of what cleanliness and sanitation in a school building should look like. In 1916, the club urged the school board to choose teachers based on educational merit alone. Club member, Lucy Flower, lobbied successfully for Illinois to have a compulsory education law. The Chicago Woman's Club also helped, along with

Rose Haas Alschuler Rose Haas Alschuler (December 17, 1887 – July 4, 1979) was an American educator. She worked with the Chicago Woman's Club to create and direct the first nursery school in Chicago. That school, organized in the Franklin Public School system was al ...

and her cousin Charlotte Kuh, to set up the first public

nursery school A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin c ...

in the United States, which was affiliated with the Chicago Board of Education. The club was also the first to provide funds for a

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

in the public schools. In 1905, the club created a fellowship for the John H. Hamline school which would provide funds for parents' and children's clubs. The Chicago Woman's Club also supported education for the blind beyond public schooling. In 1906, members of the club taught the visually impaired in their homes, teaching Braille, shorthand, typewriting and weaving. The work had grown so much, that additional funds were needed and a proposed bill was introduced to provide it to the teachers. In 1889, the club "adopted" Norwood Park School, donating funds and soliciting more for the school. The school was both an

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

for over 300 homeless boys and a training school. The club also helped the School Children's Aid Society by donating time and "suitable new clothing" for poor students so they could attend school. The club also created a school for boys who were inmates at the Chicago common jail. The Chicago Women's Club ensured that boys in the county jail had a

Thanksgiving dinner The centerpiece of contemporary Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada is Thanksgiving dinner, a large meal generally centered on a large roasted turkey. Thanksgiving is the largest eating event in the United States as measured by retail ...

in 1898. In 1885, the club began a training school for

domestic servants A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly de ...

. The club continued this work, creating a school, developing

scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

s, providing housing for students and creating an

employment agency An employment agency is an organization which matches employers to employees. In developed countries, there are multiple private businesses which act as employment agencies and a publicly funded employment agency. Public employment agencies One ...

. In 1900, the club also advocated for boys to learn how to cook in public schools. The idea also included teaching boys other domestic sciences, so that when they grew up, they would "make good husbands, able to help their wives in domestic economy." Vocational classes for interested students, which included scholarships, were started by the Chicago Woman's Club. In 1892, the club helped finance women's

dormitories A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. The dormitories cost $280,000. In 1897, the Chicago Woman's Club helped raise money to add to the

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

collection at the Chicago University. In 1898, the club created an information center for students, providing resources and information for 50 cents an inquiry. The club also kept records about what kinds of questions were asked, and encouraged and took only serious inquiries into a given topic.

Labor issues

In addition to working on reform and education, the club supported

worker's rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, ...

. During the World's Colombian Exposition, the Chicago Woman's Club urged those planning the event to stay open on Sundays in order to allow the

working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

to have the opportunity to visit. The Chicago Woman's Club also supported conferences like "Women in Modern Industrialism" which reported on the status of women in different professions.

Catherine Waugh McCulloch Catharine Gouger Waugh McCulloch (June 4, 1862 – April 20, 1945) was an American lawyer, suffragist, and reformer. She actively lobbied for women's suffrage at the local, state, and national levels as a leader in the Illinois Equal Suffrage As ...

spoke affirmatively on the topic of whether married women should be involved in business at the Women in Modern Industrialism conference. In 1894, the club helped secure 200 jobs for women and girls. Later the club started the Women's Emergency Association, which helped find employment for about 1,500 individuals. The organization was credited by ''

The Daily Republican ''The Daily Republican'' is an American daily newspaper published Mondays through Fridays in Marion, Illinois. In 1987, the paper was acquired by Hollinger. Former owner GateHouse Media GateHouse Media Inc. was an American publisher of local ...

'' for "influencing all the laws for the improvement of the conditions surrounding the working women and children of Illinois." The Chicago Woman's Club also developed an Employment Bureau. The club also worked with the Women's Trade Union and helped boycott factories where conditions for workers were poor. The club voted to send representatives to speak on behalf of clerks who were overworked in various stores, and to advocate for half-holidays for them. In 1912, the club created a committee to investigate women's working conditions in the industrial sector and had as its stated goal to create a

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...

for working women.

Notable members

Many notable women were members of the club. Physician, Sara Hackett Stevenson was president from 1892 to 1894.

was elected president in 1894. Novelist and preacher, Celia Parker Woolley, reformer Lucy Flower, Lydia Avery Coonley, and Julia Holmes Smith, also served as presidents. Many of the presidents of the Chicago Woman's Club had also been members of the Fortnightly Club. *

* Anna Blount *

Louise DeKoven Bowen Louise DeKoven Bowen (also Louise deKoven Bowen; February 26, 1859 – November 9, 1953) was an American philanthropist, civic leader, social reformer, and suffragist. She was born to a wealthy family and raised with a strong sense of ''noblesse ...

* Myra Bradwell * Lydia Avery Coonley * Lucy Flower *

Ellen Martin Henrotin Ellen Martin Henrotin (July 6, 1847 – June 29, 1922) was a wealthy American society matron, labor reform activist, club leader and social reformer affiliated with social welfare and suffrage movements. Biography Henrotin was born on July 6, 184 ...

Mary Emma Holmes Mary Emma Holmes (, Smith; August 3, 1839 – May 18, 1937) was an American reformer, suffragist, and educator. She was the president of the Equal Suffrage Association of Illinois, and she represented the National American Suffrage Associati ...

Mary Lewis Langworthy Mary L. Langworthy (, Lewis; March 31, 1872 – January 15, 1949) was an American dramatic coach, writer, lecturer, clubwoman, and civic leader. She lived in Chicago, Illinois, where she wrote and directed patriotic and educational pageants. She a ...

* Emma Gilson Wallace * Lena B. Mathes * Catharine Waugh McCulloch *

Mary McDowell Mary Eliza McDowell (November 30, 1854 – October 14, 1936) was an American social reformer and prominent figure in the Chicago Settlement movement. Early life Mary Eliza McDowell was born on November 30, 1854, to Malcolm and Jane Welch G ...

* Anna E. Nicholes *

Bertha Palmer Bertha Matilde Palmer (; May 22, 1849 – May 5, 1918) was an American businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist. She was the wife of millionaire Potter Palmer and early member of the Chicago Woman's Club, as well as president of the Board of ...

* Elia Peattie * Julia Holmes Smith * Hanna G. Solomon * Sara Hackett Stevenson *

Frances Willard Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard (September 28, 1839 – February 17, 1898) was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist. Willard became the national president of Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 187 ...

History

Reform

Education

Labor issues

Notable members

References

Citations

Sources

External links