Helen Varick Boswell

Helen Varick Boswell
Helen Varick Boswell, 1921
Born(1869-07-06)July 6, 1869
Baltimore, Maryland
DiedJanuary 5, 1942(1942-01-05) (aged 72)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materWashington College of Law
Occupation(s)Lawyer, Clubwoman
Miss Helen Varick Boswell

Helen Varick Boswell (1869–1942) was a prominent figure in the Woman's National Republican Association and the General Federation of Women's Clubs.

Life

Boswell was born on July 6, 1869, in Baltimore, Maryland. She settled in New York City where she became the protégée of J. Ellen Foster.[1] Foster founded of the Woman's National Republican Association (WRNA) around 1888 and she also served as the organization's first president. While Foster focused on supporting Republican candidates, Boswell supervised advocating for women working in factories and shops.[2]

In 1895 Boswell became chairman of the Woman's Republican Association of New York State. In 1907 she traveled to the Panama Canal Zone under the auspices of then Secretary of War William Howard Taft, where she worked to organize women's clubs for the wives and daughters of American employees.[3]

Boswell obtained a law degree from the Washington College of Law in 1902.[3]

In 1910 Foster died and Boswell became president of the Woman's National Republican Association.[1] She took over the responsibilities of campaigning for Republican candidates, specifically presidential candidates William Taft and Charles Evans Hughes. Additionally she served a delegate to the Republican National Conventions from 1920 through 1932.[3]

Boswell was a member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) serving on several committees. She was also a member of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.[3] She was included in the publication Woman's Who's Who of America, 1914-15[4] and the 1922 publication The History of Woman Suffrage.[5]

Boswell died on January 5, 1942.[3]

Publications

  • Women and Prison Labor, 1913[6]
  • Promoting Americanization, 1916[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Freeman, Jo. "'One Man, One Vote; One Woman, One Throat' by Jo Freeman". Jofreeman.com. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  2. ^ Freeman, Jo (2008). We Will be Heard: Women's Struggles for Political Power in the United States. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 29–31. ISBN 978-0-7425-5608-9. Helen Varick Boswell.
  3. ^ a b c d e Wirth, Thomas; Nuzzi, Joseph. "Biographical Sketch of Helen Varick Boswell". Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists, 1890-1920. Alexander Street Documents. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  4. ^ Leonard, John William (1914). Woman's who's who of America: a biographical dictionary of contemporary women of the United States and Canada, 1914-1915. New York: American Commonwealth Co. p. 115.
  5. ^ Stanton, Elizabeth (1922). The History of Woman Suffrage. p. 455. The History of Woman Suffrage Helen Varick Boswell.
  6. ^ Boswell, Helen Varick (1 March 1913). "Women and Prison Labor". The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 46 (1): 17–21. doi:10.1177/000271621304600105. ISSN 0002-7162. S2CID 143690500.
  7. ^ Boswell, Helen Varick (1 March 1916). "Promoting Americanization". The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 64 (1): 204–209. doi:10.1177/000271621606400122. ISSN 0002-7162. S2CID 220851488.