Emily Howland (November 20, 1827 – June 29, 1929) was a

philanthropist 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 ...

, humanitarian, and educator. She supported the education of African-Americans. She was also a strong supporter of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

and the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

. Howland personally financed the education of many black students and contributed to institutions such as the

Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a Private university, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was f ...

, Henry Damon Davidson's Centerville Industrial Institute, and Kowaliga Institute in

Kowaliga, Alabama Kowaliga, also known as Kowaliga Industrial Community and Benson, was a former unincorporated village and historically African-American community active from roughly 1890 until 1926, and located in Elmore County and later Tallapoosa County in A ...

, where Howland Hall was named for her.

Early life and education

Emily Howland was born at

Sherwood Sherwood may refer to: Places Australia *Sherwood, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane * Sherwood, South Australia, a locality *Shire of Sherwood, a former local government area of Queensland * Electoral district of Sherwood, an electoral district fr ...

Cayuga County, New York Cayuga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,248. Its county seat and largest city is Auburn. The county was named for the Cayuga people, one of the Native American tribes in the I ...

, on November 20, 1827. She was the daughter of Slocum and Hannah Tallcot Howland, who were prominent in the

Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

. Her brother, William Howland, served in the

106th New York State Legislature The 106th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met in Albany from January 2 to May 4, 1883, during the first year of administration of Grover Cleveland Background Under the provis ...

. She was educated in small private schools in the community, and the Margaret Robinson School, a Friends school in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Pennsylvania.

Career

An active

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

, Howland taught at

Normal School for Colored Girls Normal School for Colored Girls was established in Washington, D.C., in 1851 as an institution of learning and training for young African-American women, especially to train teachers. It was the first normal school in the District of Columbia and ...

(later known as the Miner School and now

University of the District of Columbia The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public historically black land-grant university in Washington, D.C., United States. The only public university in the city, it traces its origins to 1851 and opened in its current form in 1 ...

) in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, from 1857 to 1859. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, she worked at the contraband refugee settlement of Camp Todd in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

, establishing a school where she taught freed

slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

to read and write as well as administering to the sick during a

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

outbreak, coordinating relief efforts, and ultimately serving as director of the camp from 1864 to 1866. Beginning in 1867, she started a community for freed people in Heathsville,

Northumberland County, Virginia Northumberland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 11,839. Its county seat is Heathsville. The county is located on the Northern Neck and is part of the Northern Neck George Was ...

, called Arcadia, on 400 acres purchased by her father, including a school for the education of children of freed slaves, the Howland Chapel School. She continued to maintain an active interest in African-American education, donating money and materials as well as visiting and corresponding with administrators at many schools. Returning to

Sherwood, New York Sherwood is a hamlet in Cayuga County, New York, United States. It is the location of four properties or districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal governmen ...

, after her father's death in 1881, she inherited $50,000 ($ in dollars) and ran the Sherwood Select School until 1926 when it became a public school and was renamed the Emily Howland Elementary School by the state of New York. Howland was also active in women's

suffrage 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 ...

, peace, and temperance movements and was a member of the

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far ...

. In 1858, she began organizing women's rights lectures and meetings with Susan B. Anthony and

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Elizabeth Cady Stanton ( Cady; November 12, 1815 – October 26, 1902) was an American writer and activist who was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-19th century. She was the main force behind the 1848 ...

. In 1878, she spoke at the 30th anniversary of the Seneca Falls woman's rights convention and in 1894 the

New York State legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the Bicameralism, two houses that act as the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York: the New York State Senate and the New York State Assem ...

. When the suffrage movement split into two groups, the

National Woman Suffrage Association The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) was formed on May 15, 1869, to work for women's suffrage in the United States. Its main leaders were Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It was created after the women's rights movement spl ...

and the

American Woman Suffrage Association The American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) was a single-issue national organization formed in 1869 to work for women's suffrage in the United States. The AWSA lobbied state governments to enact laws granting or expanding women's right to vot ...

, Howland did not take sides, but attended meetings of both groups. In 1904, she spoke in front of Congress and attended the 1912 and 1913 suffrage parades in New York. She has been credited with persuading

Ezra Cornell Ezra Cornell (; January 11, 1807 – December 9, 1874) was an American businessman, politician, academic, and philanthropist. He was the founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University. He also served as president of the New York ...

that, as a Quaker, he should make

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

a coeducational institution. In 1926 she received an honorary Litt.D. degree from the University of the State of NY, in Albany, the first woman to have this honor conferred upon her from this institution. She was also the author of an historical sketch of early

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

history in Cayuga County, NY:
Historical Sketch of Friends in Cayuga County
'. Howland became one of the first female directors of a national bank 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 ...

, at the First National Bank of Aurora in Aurora, New York, in 1890, serving until her death, at age 101.

Legacy

Her papers are held by several universities, including Cornell University, Haverford College, and Swarthmore College. A photo album containing family, friends, and colleagues, as well as souvenir images of notable abolitionists and famous figures during the 1860s and 1870s is jointly owned by the

National Museum of African American History and Culture The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), colloquially known as the Blacksonian, is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in 2003 an ...

and the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

. In 2021, she was inducted into the

National Women's Hall of Fame The National Women's Hall of Fame (NWHF) is an American institution founded to honor and recognize women. It was incorporated in 1969 in Seneca Falls, New York, and first inducted honorees in 1973. As of 2024, the Hall has honored 312 inducte ...

References

External links

* The World of Emily Howland: Odyssey of a Humanitarian, by Judith Colucci Breault (1976)
Emily Howland Family Papers
held a
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

Emily Howland family photographs
held a
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

Emily Howland papers
held a
Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
*Much of Emily Howland’s papers have been digitized and are available at th
In Her Own Right project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howland, Emily 1827 births 1929 deaths Activists from New York (state) American abolitionists American anti-war activists American women centenarians American Quakers American suffragists American temperance activists American women educators Educators from New York (state) People from Aurora, Cayuga County, New York People of Washington, D.C., in the American Civil War Philanthropists from New York (state) Quaker abolitionists American women civil rights activists Women in the American Civil War National Woman Suffrage Association activists American Woman Suffrage Association activists