Frances Willard
Biography and Correspondence
Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard (Sept. 28, 1839-Feb. 17, 1898) was born in New York, but as an infant, her father moved the family to Oberlin College in Ohio to study for the ministry. Oberlin was known for its holiness roots, but also with strong feelings about the abolition of slavery. It is the oldest college to take students of all races, and to be co-educational as well. In 1846, the family moved to Wisconsin, where they became Methodists. Frances Willard would remain a strongly religious Methodist for the rest of her life.
After a short stint as the first Dean of women at Northwestern University, Willard became involved in the temperance movement. In 1874 she was part of the founding conference of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. She started as the first Corresponding Secretary and then moved into the publishing branches of the organization before becoming the second president in 1879. With her personal secretary Anna Adams Gordon, she became a major advocate for temperance and built up the W.C.T.U. to one of the largest women’s organizations in the world. Ultimately united many of the different national organizations in the World’s Woman’s Christian Temperance Association were brought together in 1888.
Willard had a much broader view of the temperance movement than many. She saw the equality of men and women as part of the divine laws of God, so that leadership in the family as well as the nation should be shared by both genders. Temperance was seen as a way to protect the family from physical violence and economic destruction. Women’s right to vote were seen as a way to further the cause of temperance by creating laws to further protect the family from the liquor traffic by empowering women. Willard’s death at 58 years of age kept her from seeing the fulfillment of her goals of prohibition and women’s right to vote, but her work was instrumental in the future success of both of these causes.
Evanston, Ill.
Oct. 6, 1890
Dearest Hannah:
Here’s thy constitution. Pall Mall is about what one would expect. Guess Stead would do better. I cannot touch the poor old book again. Am too much underwater with current cares. You see I am president of World’s and National W.C.T.U. and of Woman’s Council, which holds its great meeting in Pike’s Opera House Washington next spring. Am so sorry but the work blocked out ought to occupy and kill 10 women.
Hear?
It occurs to me that the leaflets I enclose could be used in your new edition- White Life for 2 etc.- Also take anything from my Annual address that you like- all these will be helpful. Take anything thee likes from “How to Win” (Frank Wagnalls have it at their London House) I wish the B.W.T.A. would keep any of my leaflets or books or those of the W.T.P.A. that will help. – All right about little Chant, we shall let her rest.
J. Ellen is travelling and speaking east and west- running down the W.C.T.U. to the utmost- so Neal Dow writes me. What a pity! Why not build rather than seek to destroy- All well here- love to you all,
Tenderly and gratefully thy
Frances Willard
Notes: This letter was written at the height of Frances Willard’s activities. She was president of the National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.), the World’s Woman’s Christian Temperance Association, and president of the National Council of Women of the United States (the “Woman’s Council” she mentions) at this time, which are referenced in the letter. Hannah was the Secretary of Evangelism for the W.C.T.U. and was also involved with the British Women’s Temperance Association (B.W.T.A.).
The opening of the letter must refer to something that Hannah would like to publish in a British newspaper. The Pall Mall Gazette was a major liberal paper that had helped Josephine Butler uncover the plight of child prostitution under the leadership of W.T. Stead its editor. Stead left the Pall Mall Gazette in 1889 and by 1890 was the editor of the Review of Reviews.
She also refers to two of her books: A White Life for Two (on purity), and How to Win: A Books for Girls. The reference to J. Ellen may refer to Judith Ellen Foster, the W.C.T.U. Superintendent of the legislative department and the first woman allowed to practice law in Iowa. While a strong advocate for temperance, she also fought the idea that any organization could pledge the influence of its members to any other organization, and this might be an area of conflict. Neal Dow was an important politician from Maine who was active in temperance causes. He was the 1880 presidential candidate for the Prohibitionist Party.
