Eva Perry Moore (July 24, 1852 – April 28, 1931) was an American clubwoman based in St. Louis, president of the

General Federation of Women's Clubs The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of approximately 2,300 women's clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Community Serv ...

and the National Council of Women.Karen J. Blair
"Eva Perry Moore"
in ''American National Biography Online'' (Oxford University Press 2000).

Early life

Mary Eva Perry was born in

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, Winnebago and Ogle County, Illinois, Ogle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in far northern Illinois on the banks of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock River, Rockfor ...

, the daughter of Elizabeth (née Benedict) and Seely Perry. Her father had been a schoolmaster, and in 1858 was elected mayor of Rockford. Perry graduated from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1873. She studied abroad from 1876 to 1879.

Career

Eva Perry Moore was a longtime officer of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, from 1894 to 1912; she was president of the national organization from 1908 to 1912. Before that, she was president of the Missouri Federation of Women's Clubs (1902-1908). Moore became president of the National Council of Women in 1914, and held that office until 1925; she was also vice-president of the

International Council of Women The International Council of Women (ICW) is a women's organization working across national boundaries for the common cause of advocating women's rights, human rights for women. In March and April 1888, women leaders came together in Washington D.C ...

from 1920 to 1930. Moore, herself active on behalf of women's suffrage and other progressive reforms, saw the strategic advantage of a national organization of women perceived to be apolitical. "We have no platform unless it is the care of women and children, and the home, the latter meaning the four walls of the city as well as the four walls of brick and mortar," she stated in 1910. Moore was an alumnae trustee at Vassar College, president of the Nurses' Association of St. Louis, president of the

Association of Collegiate Alumnae The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,00 ...

, president of the Wednesday Club of St. Louis, director of the St. Louis Provident Association, vice-president of the National Conservation Congress, vice-president of the St. Louis School of Philanthropy, founder of the Musical Club of St. Louis, and a member of the Superior Jury of the

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federa ...

(1904). Moore spoke at the

National American Woman Suffrage Association The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was an organization formed on February 18, 1890, to advocate in favor of women's suffrage in the United States. It was created by the merger of two existing organizations, the National Woma ...

convention when it was held in Baltimore in 1906. In 1909, she traveled with

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

to the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...

Federation of Women's Clubs meeting. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, she served on the Women's Committee of the

Council of National Defense The Council of National Defense was a United States organization formed during World War I to coordinate resources and industry in support of the war effort, including the coordination of transportation, industrial and farm production, financial s ...

. In 1918, she was appointed to the executive committee of the League to Enforce Peace, along with

Anna Howard Shaw Anna Howard Shaw (February 14, 1847 – July 2, 1919) was a leader of the women's suffrage movement in the United States. She was also a physician and one of the first women to be ordained as a Methodist minister in the United States. Early li ...

, M. Carey Thomas, and

Frances Folsom Cleveland Preston Frances Clara Cleveland Preston (, christened Frank Clara; July 21, 1864 – October 29, 1947) was the first lady of the United States from 1886 to 1889 and again from 1893 until 1897, as the wife of President Grover Cleveland. She was the ...

."Women in Campaign for Permanent Peace"
''New York Times'' (January 21, 1918).

Personal life

Eva Perry married mining engineer Philip North Moore in 1879. They lived in Colorado and Kentucky, and later moved to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, in 1890. They had two children, Elizabeth Moore and Perry North. Her husband died in 1930. Moore died on April 28, 1931, at her home in St. Louis.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Eva Perry 1852 births 1931 deaths People from Rockford, Illinois People from St. Louis American suffragists American women in World War I Clubwomen Vassar College alumni 20th-century American people