Clara Arthur (October 25, 1858 – July 26, 1929) was an American suffragist. She was inducted into the

Michigan Women's Hall of Fame The Michigan Women's Hall of Fame (MWHOF) honors distinguished women, both historical and contemporary, who have been associated with the U.S. state of Michigan. The hall of fame was founded in 1983 by Gladys Beckwith and is sponsored by the Mic ...

. After suffrage was achieved in Michigan, she devoted her efforts to establishing playgrounds in the city of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. Arthur is known as the "Mother of the Playground Movement".

Biography

Clara Arthur née Peters was born in 1858 in

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of K ...

, Canada. In 1885, she co-founded the Michigan Equal Suffrage Association, which she would be elected president of in 1906. As president, Arthur succeeded in amending the

Constitution of Michigan The Constitution of the State of Michigan is the governing document of the U.S. state of Michigan. It describes the structure and function of the state's government. There have been four constitutions approved by the people of Michigan. The f ...

to allow white women to vote on certain issues (such as on taxes and bonds). Arthur was also an important driver of the statewide effort to gain women's suffrage, which succeeded in 1918 after six years of campaigning. Arthur learned about the

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

movement through groups that constructed them in cities like Boston and Chicago. She began to promote the building of playgrounds; constructing Detroit's first playground in 1899 by converting an empty lot to a playground. She researched about their benefits and heavily advocated for the establishment of a playground system. In 1901, the Local Council of Women of Detroit formed a 'playground committee', which Arthur was at the head of. She developed a plan for a system of playgrounds, which the city council initially refused to institute. She went to the

Detroit Public Schools Community District Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States and high school students in the insular city of Highland Park. The district, which replaced the original Detr ...

and got permission to make a playground on the grounds of a school. After its success, the city council agreed to fund a wider program. Later in life she was known as the "Mother of the Playground Movement". Arthur is credited with helping establish the system of playgrounds in

, leading to 138 playgrounds and 17 swimming pools in 1929 with a budget of over $1 million. She used her wealth to fund the construction of playgrounds, baths, and fight against tuberculosis. An advocate against child labor, Arthur served on the

National Child Labor Committee The National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) was a private, non-profit organization in the United States that served as a leading proponent for the national child labor reform movement. Its mission was to promote "the rights, awareness, dignity, well ...

. She was also an active member of the Michigan Federation of Women's Clubs, chairing the industrial and child labor committees. Arthur was one of the founders of the Detroit Anti Tuberculosis Society and worked towards building the Detroit Tuberculosis Sanitarium. Arthur died July 26, 1929. She was buried in Detroit in Woodlawn Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur, Clara American suffragists 1858 births 1929 deaths Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit)