Isabel Abraham Ross (, 22 August 1885 – 29 October 1964) was a British teacher,

suffragist 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 vo ...

, pacifist and biographer. She campaigned in England and Kenya.

Early life

Ross was born Isabel Abraham in

Garston, Liverpool Garston is a district of Liverpool, in Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is bordered by the suburbs of Aigburth, Allerton, and Speke. It lies on the Eastern banks of the River Mersey. History In medieval times, Garston ...

in 1885. She was from a

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 ...

family. Her father was Thomas Fell Abraham, a pharmaceutical chemist who was directly descended from the founder of the Religious Society of Friends,

Margaret Fell Margaret Fell or Margaret Fox ( Askew, formerly Fell; 1614 – 23 April 1702) was a founder and leading member of the Religious Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Prot ...

. Later in life, Ross wrote a biography of her ancestor, titled ''Margaret Fell: Mother of Quakerism.'' Her mother was her father's first wife, Margaret Sarah Abraham ().

Education and early activism

Ross studied history at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

, where she founded the university women's suffrage society. She was also a member of the Women's Social Political Union (WSPU). After graduating from university in 1908, Ross worked as a history teacher at Wallington High School for Girls.Davidson, Paul
''Papers of William McGregor and Isabel Ross, [1890–1964''
/nowiki>">890–1964''">''Papers of William McGregor and Isabel Ross, [1890–1964''
/nowiki> Bodleian Library, University of Oxford. Retrieved 8 March 2025. She lived whilst teaching with Nellie Ross who would become her sister-in-law.

Marriage and life in British East Africa

In 1915, she married William McGregor Ross (1876–1940), a civil engineer, and they moved to

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

British East Africa East Africa Protectorate (also known as British East Africa) was a British protectorate in the African Great Lakes, occupying roughly the same area as present-day Kenya, from the Indian Ocean inland to the border with Uganda in the west. Cont ...

. They had two sons who were born in Africa. In Kenya, Ross continued to pursue her interest in women's suffrage. She became the founder and first president of the East Africa Women's League (EAWL) in 1917. As president, she organised public campaign meetings and coordinated a petition asking for votes to be granted to European women, which was submitted on 24 February 1919. White settler women were granted the right to vote in 1919. The EAWL then changed their mission, to "study and take action on, where necessary, all matters affecting the welfare and happiness of women and children of all races in East Africa." Ross spoke to the Women's Group of the Ethical Movement on the subject of "the Colour Bar in London." She was also a member of the Education Board of Kenya and played an influential part in Nairobi social life.

Return to England

Ross and her family returned to England in 1922. In 1933, Isabel was appointed vice-chair of the British branch of the

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is a non-profit non-governmental organization working "to bring together women of different political views and philosophical and religious backgrounds determined to study and make kno ...

(WILPF). In 1941, then president of the EAWL, Lady Baden-Powell, invited Ross to become an honorary member of the organisation. Ross visited Kenya again in 1949 and spoke at an EAWL conference.

Death

She died in 1964 in

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

, Dorset.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Isabel Abraham 1885 births 1964 deaths People from Garston British Quakers British pacifists British suffragists British diaspora in Africa Women's Social and Political Union