Mamie Claflin ( Perkins; March 8, 1867 – December 1, 1929) was an American temperance and

woman suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffrage was in effect during ...

leader. In addition to serving six years as president of the

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

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 ...

(W.C.T.U.) (1912–18), for 16 years, she was also the editor and publisher of its organ, ''The Union Worker'' (1898–1912; 1927–29).

Early life and education

Mamie Mildred Perkins was born at

Burlington, Kentucky Burlington is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Boone County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 17,318 at the 2020 census. History Burlington was incorporated in 1824. However, today Burlington is unincorpora ...

, March 8, 1867. Her parents were Richard C. Perkins (b. 1842) and Jeannette (Blythe) Perkins (b. 1845). The father, a veteran of 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 ...

, became a homesteader in

Hall County, Nebraska Hall County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 62,895, making it Nebraska's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat is Grand Island. The county was formed in 1858; it was na ...

. Mamie had four younger siblings: Edith, Jeanetta, R. Clark, and Emanuel. She was educated in the public schools of

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

and of Hall County, Nebraska, arriving in Nebraska with her family in 1874. She graduated from the high school at

Grand Island, Nebraska Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 53,131 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Nebraska, 4th most populous ...

Career

After graduation, she became a teacher in

Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...

and Hall counties. In 1886, she married Jason Lewis Claflin (1858–1944), of Grand Island, Nebraska. For the next ten years, the couple together published the ''

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

Phonograph''. During the period of 1896–1905, they were editors of the ''Ord Journal''. Joining 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 ...

and the W.C.T.U. in the same year, at St. Paul, Nebraska, she was selected as the superintendent of the

Sunday school ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

Temperance Department of the W.C.T.U. in 1893. Four years later, she was made State corresponding secretary and also placed in charge of the official State organ, ''The Union Worker'', a position she held for sixteen years, serving as its editor and publisher. In 1913, she was elected president, of the Nebraska W.C.T.U., and she was annually reelected until 1919. In the State Prohibition campaign of 1916, which made Nebraska a

dry state A dry state was a state in the United States in which the manufacture, distribution, importation, and sale of alcoholic beverages was prohibited or tightly restricted. Some states, such as North Dakota, entered the United States as dry states, and ...

, Claflin was a member of the board of managers of the State Dry Federation. She maintained an office in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...

and had charge of the literature department of the prohibition campaign. 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 was a member of the State Council of Defense, and took a leading part in raising funds and otherwise providing for the comfort of the troops in the cantonments and training camps. She was an ardent suffragist and actively engaged in every campaign in which woman suffrage was an issue, finding time, also, to aid in the work of various other organizations for the advancement of women.

Personal life

The Claflins had three daughters, Faith, Mildred, and Dorothy. Mamie Claflin broke her hip in July 1929, and suffered a stroke thereafter. She died in Lincoln, Nebraska, December 1 of that year and was buried in

Ord, Nebraska Ord is a city in Valley County, Nebraska, Valley County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 2,112 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Valley County, Nebraska, Valley County. History Ord was platted in ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Claflin, Mamie 1867 births 1929 deaths American temperance activists Presidents of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union People from Burlington, Kentucky Suffragists from Nebraska 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 20th-century American newspaper editors 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people)