Baroness Suzanne Silvercruys (married names Suzanne Farnam, Suzanne Stevenson; May 29, 1898 – March 31, 1973) was a Belgian-American sculptor and political activist, founder and first president of the

Minute Women of the U.S.A. The Minute Women of the U.S.A. was one of the largest of a number of anti-Communist women's groups that were active during the 1950s and early 1960s. Such groups, which organized American suburban housewives into anti-Communist study groups, polit ...

Life and career

Suzanne Silvercruys was born in

Maaseik Maaseik (; ) is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of Limburg. Both in size (close to 77 km2) and in population (approx. 25,000 inhabitants, of whom some 3,000 non-Belgian), it is the 8th largest municipality in Limburg. The to ...

, Belgium,"Suzanne Silvercruys Farnam"
Olympic Sports, ''

Sports Reference Sports Reference, LLC is an American sports statistics company that operates databases of several sports. They include Pro Football Reference for American football, Baseball Reference for baseball, Basketball Reference for basketball, Hockey ...

'', retrieved August 24, 2016.Evelyn de Rostaing McMann, ''Biographical Index of Artists in Canada'', Toronto: University of Toronto, 2003,
p. 219
where her father, Baron Frantz (François) Silvercruys, was a Conseiller (justice) and later president of the

Court of Cassation A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case; they only interpret the relevant law. In this, they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In ...

.Mary Margaret M'Bride
"Government Effect On Family Life Is Now Arousing Interest of Women in United States"
'' The Spartanburg Herald'', September 12, 1934, p. 3.

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

"Relief Plea Made By Belgian Woman"
''

The Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...

'', June 10, 1940, p. 7."Silvercruys, Robert, Papers"
Georgetown University Archival Resources,

Georgetown University Library The Georgetown University Library is the library system of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The library's holdings now contain approximately 3.5 million volumes housed in seven university buildings across 11 separate collections. Histo ...

, retrieved August 28, 2016. The family came to the United States in 1915 in flight from

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 became a US citizen in 1922."Suzanne Silvercruys, 74, Dies; Sculptor, Painter and Lecturer"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', April 2, 1973, p. 38."Noted Sculptor Will Give Lecture-Demonstration For AAUW"
''

Schenectady Gazette ''The Daily Gazette,'' from 1902 to 1989 ''Schenectady Gazette,'' is an independent, family-owned daily newspaper published in Schenectady, New York, Schenectady, New York state, New York. ''The Daily Gazette'' also owns and operates ''The Amste ...

'', February 10, 1948, p. 13. Her brother, Baron , was a poet and professor of French and later the Belgian ambassador to Canada and then for many years to the United States. Suzanne Silvercruys 1918 standing

In 1917, she was one of 1,500 people present at a dinner 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 ...

where Secretary of War

Newton D. Baker Newton Diehl Baker Jr. (December 3, 1871 – December 25, 1937) was an American lawyer, Georgist,Noble, Ransom E. "Henry George and the Progressive Movement." The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, vol. 8, no. 3, 1949, pp. 259–269. w ...

was to speak; when he failed to appear, she was invited to speak instead and described the

Rape of Belgium The Rape of Belgium was a series of systematic war crimes, especially mass murder and German occupation of Belgium during World War I#Deportation and forced labour, deportation, by German troops against Belgians, Belgian civilians during Germa ...

by the invading Germans.George Tucker
"Man About Manhattan"
''

Ellensburg Daily Record ''The Daily Record'' is an American daily newspaper published in Ellensburg, Washington. The ''Record'' is published four days a week with an afternoon edition each Tuesday through Thursday and a weekend edition is delivered on Saturday mornings ...

'', November 29, 1939, p. 6. She subsequently toured the US and Canada as "the little Belgian girl", publicizing the Belgians' plight and raising a million dollars for relief to them. She received honors from the King and Queen of Belgium,Lee Hennessy, Central Press
"Six Interesting Faces Selected"
''The Spartanburg Herald'', December 1, 1933, p. 17. including the Order of Leopold and the Order of the Crown; she was also awarded the British Coronation Medal and was an officer of the French Academy. Silvercruys originally hoped for a career as a musician; she became interested in sculpture when she was ill with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

and a friend gave her some modeling clay; she sculpted her dog's head."Owes Her Fame To A Chance Present"
''The Montreal Gazette'', January 6, 1937, p. 7.Pat Ingram, "Fascinated Reporter Gets Hurried Interview With Madame Silvercruys", ''The Breeze'', Madison College
February 13, 1948
p. 1. She graduated from the Yale School of Fine Arts in 1928 and worked as a sculptor, mainly producing portraits of famous people; she also painted portraits. She had a one-person sculpture show in New York in 1930. She also lectured on sculpture, often sculpting one or more members of the audience, and taught the first college class in sculpture at

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer County, Tex ...

. In the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, she represented Belgium as a sculptor in the art competition. She was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

and, in 1966, an

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Mount Allison was the first university in the British Empire to award a baccal ...

, where her papers are preserved. She lived for many years in

Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...

, and in

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

,C. L. Sonnichsen, ''Tucson: The Life and Times of an American City'', Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1982,
p. 307
where she was living when she died in

Washington, D. C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, while on a lecture tour.

Political career

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Silvercruys was again active on behalf of Belgian relief. After the war she became a prominent anti-Socialist speaker and activist. She was one of the organizers of the Young Republican League of Connecticut and was the founder and president of Minute Women of the U.S.A.;Don E. Carleton, ''Red Scare! Right-Wing Hysteria, Fifties Fanaticism, and Their Legacy in Texas'', Austin: Texas Monthly Press, 1985, ,
p. 111
There are varying accounts of whether she was the sole founder of the Minute Women. George Norris Green, ''The Establishment in Texas Politics: The Primitive Years, 1938–1957'', Contributions in Political Science 21, Westport, Connecticut / London: Greenwood, 1979,
p. 123
also presents her as sole founder; however, according to Allan J. Lichtman, ''White Protestant Nation: The Rise of the American Conservative Movement'', New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2008,
p. 152
she co-founded the organization with Vivian Kellems. she left that position in 1952 to co-found the Constitution Party, but soon in turn left the party, disenchanted with her treatment as a foreign-born Catholic and believing it harbored anti-Semites. Her political feminism prefigured that of

Phyllis Schlafly Phyllis Stewart Schlafly (; born Phyllis McAlpin Stewart; August 15, 1924 – September 5, 2016) was an American attorney, conservative activist, and anti-feminist, who was nationally prominent in conservatism. She held paleoconservative soc ...

: she sought to mobilize conservative women in defence of traditional American values, was much influenced by

John T. Flynn John Thomas Flynn (October 25, 1882 – April 13, 1964) was an American journalist best known for his opposition to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and to American entry into World War II. In September 1940, Flynn helped establish the America Fi ...

, and treasured a letter from Senator

Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death at age ...

, which was shown to hesitant Minute Women recruits. She assisted in placing a candidate on the Connecticut delegation to the Republican

National Convention The National Convention () was the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for its first three years during the French Revolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the ...

in 1950, and twice sought a place in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

herself: as a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 1946 election for the House of Representatives and as an independent right-wing Republican candidate against incumbent Republican

Prescott Bush Prescott Sheldon Bush Sr. (May 15, 1895 – October 8, 1972) was an American banker and Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician. as a Wall Street executive investment banker, he represented Connecticut in the from 1952 ...

in the 1956 election for the Senate.

Private life

Silvercruys was married twice, to Henry W. Farnam, Jr., son of a Yale professor, and to Edward Ford Stevenson, who had filmed the

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

and

Yalta Yalta (: ) is a resort town, resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crime ...

conferences during World War II and was later a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, advertising executive, and producer; he died before her.

Selected works

* Bust of

Lord Tweedsmuir John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, British Army officer, and Unionist Party (Scotland), Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the List of governo ...

, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of New York * Bust of

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

for the library at the University of Louvain, now in the

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries. In addition to its main camp ...

* Bust of

Anthony McAuliffe General Anthony Clement "Nuts" McAuliffe (2 July 1898 – 10 August 1975) was a senior United States Army officer who earned fame as the acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division defending Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge ...

, Place McAuliffe,

Bastogne Bastogne (; ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Bastogne, Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardi ...

(1946–1947) * Memorial group portrait of Queen Astrid of Belgium and children * Group portrait of the

Dionne quintuplets The Dionne quintuplets (; born May 28, 1934) are the first quintuplets known to have survived their infancy. The identical girls were born just outside Callander, Ontario, near the village of Corbeil. All five survived to adulthood. The Dion ...

at the age of five *

Statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...

of Francisco Eusebio Kino, one of the two statues from

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

in the

National Statuary Hall Collection The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old Hal ...

in Washington, D. C. * Trophy presented to

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( ; July 24, 1897 – January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her li ...

by the Zonta Club of New York after her first solo trans-Atlantic flight * Twice life-size bust of

Robert A. Taft Robert Alphonso Taft Sr. (September 8, 1889 – July 31, 1953) was an American politician, lawyer, and scion of the Republican Party's Taft family. Taft represented Ohio in the United States Senate, briefly served as Senate majority le ...

* Statue of Princess Noccalula (1969), at

Noccalula Falls Park Noccalula Falls Park is a 250-acre (101-ha) public park located in Gadsden, Alabama, United States. The main feature of the park is a 90-foot (27-m) waterfall. Trails wind through Black Creek Gorge past caves, an aboriginal fort, an abandoned da ...

Gadsden, Alabama Gadsden is the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located on the Coosa River about northeast of Birmingham and southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statist ...

Publications

* ''Suzanne of Belgium: The Story of a Modern Girl'' (autobiography, with Marion Clyde McCarroll). New York: Dutton,

932 Year 932 (Roman numerals, CMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Alberic II of Spoleto, Alberic II leads an uprising at Rome against his stepfather Hugh of Italy, Hu ...

.''The Book Review Digest'' 29 (1934
p. 301
* ''The Epic of America'' (pageant) * ''There Is No Death'' (drama, 1935)George Tucker
"Man About Manhattan"
''

The Gettysburg Times ''The Gettysburg Times'' is an American newspaper in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, owned by the Sample News Group. It is published daily, except for Sundays, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. The ''Times'' was founded in 1902 as ''The Progress'', ...

'', March 14, 1935, p. 8. * ''A Primer of Sculpture''. New York: Putnam,

942 Year 942 (Roman numerals, CMXLII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – The Hungarian raid in Spain (942), Hungarians invade Al-Andalus (modern Spain) and besiege the f ...

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Silvercruys, Suzanne 1898 births 1973 deaths People from Maaseik Belgian emigrants to the United States 20th-century American sculptors Yale School of Art alumni American anti-communists American portrait artists Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) People from Norwalk, Connecticut Sculptors from Connecticut Activists from Connecticut Artists from Tucson, Arizona Activists from Arizona Connecticut Republicans Women in Connecticut politics Sculptors from Arizona Art competitors at the 1932 Summer Olympics 20th-century American women sculptors