Eva French LeFevre (October 20, 1851 – June 13, 1948) was a prominent philanthropist and the president of the Denver Orphan's Home. The LeFevres were some of the first pioneers of Denver.

Early life

Eva French was born on October 20, 1851, in

Piqua, Ohio Piqua ( ) is a city in Miami County, Ohio, United States, along the Great Miami River. The population was 20,354 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located north of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton, it is part of the Greater Dayton, Dayton metro ...

, the daughter of Daniel French and Mary P. Heald. She studied at

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...

and was a graduate of

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (abbrevriated OWU) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Ohio Valley, Centra ...

. With

Career

LeFevre was active in civic work involving children and education. She was president of the Denver Orphan's Home, secretary of the

Wolcott School for Girls Anna Wolcott Vaile (May 25, 1868 – 1928) was an American educator who established the Wolcott School for Girls and was on the Board of Regents for the University of Colorado. Early life Anna Louise Wolcott was born on May 25, 1868, in Providen ...

, benefactor of the Florence Crittendon Home for Girls and supporter of the Children's Hospital. She was the original founder of the

Charity Organization Society The Charity Organisation Societies were founded in England in 1869 following the ' Goschen Minute' that sought to severely restrict outdoor relief distributed by the Poor Law Guardians along the lines of the Elberfeld system. In the early 1870s, ...

, one of the first charity movements in the country, on the first board of the St. Luke's Hospital and was an active member of the Ladies' Relief Society, an early Denver charity. She was on the board of directors of the

Young Women's Christian Association The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

and the oldest member of the Community Chest, which later became the

United Way of America United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual United Ways mobilize a sin ...

. LeFebvre was director of Art Association and a benefactor of the

Denver Art Museum The Denver Art Museum (DAM) is an art museum located in the Civic Center of Denver, Colorado. With an encyclopedic collection of more than 70,000 diverse works from across the centuries and world, the DAM is one of the largest art museums betwe ...

. She was president of the Denver Branch of the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances Justice, equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide Social net ...

and a member of a number of clubs, including the Denver Women's Club, the Women's Press Club, the Denver Country Club and the Monday Literary Club.

Personal life

On June 28, 1871, she married Owen Edgar LeFevre (1848-1921), a prominent judge in Denver until 1901, and had one daughter, Eva Frederiece LeFevre Bellamy (b. 1884). She moved to Colorado in 1873 and lived at 1311 York St., Denver, Colorado. Owen E. LeFevre died in 1921, and Eva LeFevre lived at the Owen E. LeFevre House for the rest of her life. She died on June 13, 1948, and is buried at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:LeFevre, Eva Frederica French People from Piqua, Ohio 1851 births 1948 deaths American women philanthropists