Esther Pugh (August 31, 1834 – March 29, 1908) was an American temperance reformer of the

long nineteenth century The long nineteenth century is a term for the 125-year period beginning with the onset of the French Revolution in 1789, and ending with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It was coined by Soviet writer Ilya Ehrenburg and later popularized ...

. She served as Treasurer of the National

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 ...

(WCTU), a Trustee of

Earlham College Earlham College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. The college was established in 1847 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and has a strong focus on Quake ...

, as well as editor and publisher of the monthly temperance journal, ''Our Union''.

Early life

Esther Pugh, daughter of Achilles and Anna Maria Pugh, was born in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, Ohio, August 31, 1834. Her parents were

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

. For many years, the father was a journalist in Cincinnati, and publisher of the ''Chronicle''. Pugh received a good education.

Career

Early on, Pugh became interested in moral reforms, and soon became prominent in 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 ...

. She was one of the leaders in the movement, joining the WCTU during its first meetings. She served as Treasurer of the National WCTU for 15 years, and her management style repeatedly aided the national order in passing through financial difficulties. Considered to be a clear and forcible orator, she traveled for temperance work throughout the United States and Canada, lecturing and organizing unions. Pugh's association with Frances E. Willard was enduring. EstherPugh

Succeeding Mary Towne Burt, Pugh served as publisher and editor of the monthly temperance journal, ''Our Union'', for years. According to Gifford (1995), Pugh, Frances H. Rastall and Caroline Buell used ''

The Union Signal ''The Union Signal'' (formerly, ''The Woman's Temperance Union'' and ''Our Union'') is a defunct American newspaper. It was the organ of the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union (National WCTU), at one time, the largest women's organizati ...

'' (the paper's name after its merger with ''The Signal'') to promote their private businesses. Because of her journalistic experience, Pugh was called upon to provide guidance for the Woman's Home Missionary Society of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

's periodical, ''Woman's Home Missions'', regarding

typeset Typesetting is the composition of text for publication, display, or distribution by means of arranging physical ''type'' (or ''sort'') in mechanical systems or ''glyphs'' in digital systems representing '' characters'' (letters and other ...

and how to make up a "dummy". Pugh's work in the WCTU, beginning in Cincinnati, caused her residence at different times to be in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, and

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 ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, though made her home is in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

. She served an Elder in the Friends church. She was appointed a Trustee of Earlham College by Indiana Yearly Meeting, and held that position until failing health made it necessary for her to resign.

Death

Esther Pugh died 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 Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, March 29, 1908. The funeral service was held at the home of her sister, Mary T. Wildman, in Philadelphia. Pugh was buried either in

Waynesville, Ohio Waynesville is a village in Wayne Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,669 at the 2020 census. It is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. The village, located at the crossroads of U.S. Route 42 and State Rout ...

or in Corwin, Ohio at Miami Cemetery.

References

Attribution

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Bibliography

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pugh, Esther 1834 births 1908 deaths 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 19th-century American writers 19th-century American women writers American women newspaper editors Women in publishing Woman's Christian Temperance Union people Activists from Cincinnati American social reformers American Quakers Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century