%1 http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/ en Helen Ring Robinson http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/helen-ring-robinson <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Helen Ring Robinson</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2020-01-15T16:19:59-07:00" title="Wednesday, January 15, 2020 - 16:19" class="datetime">Wed, 01/15/2020 - 16:19</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/helen-ring-robinson" data-a2a-title="Helen Ring Robinson"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fhelen-ring-robinson&amp;title=Helen%20Ring%20Robinson"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Helen Ring Robinson (c. 1860–1923) was the first woman elected to the Colorado State Senate in 1912 and the second woman elected to any state senate in the nation. In her role as senator during the<a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/progressive-era-colorado"> <strong>Progressive Era</strong></a>, she was a passionate advocate for social reform that supported women, education, labor, and the mentally ill. Robinson was a leader in the national effort for women’s voting rights and traveled throughout the country giving speeches on <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/womens-suffrage-movement"><strong>women’s suffrage</strong></a>.</p> <h2>Early Life and Teaching Career</h2> <p>Helen Margaret Ring was born in Eastport, Maine, around 1860 as the sixth of nine children. Her family later moved from Maine to Providence, Rhode Island, where she graduated from high school around 1877.</p> <p>After attending Wellesley College for one year in a “teacher special” program that provided additional training for teachers, Helen Ring taught school in various locations, including Cleveland, Ohio, and Yonkers, New York, before moving to <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-springs"><strong>Colorado Springs</strong></a> in 1893 to teach at <strong>Colorado College</strong>. In 1895 she moved to <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a>, where she taught English, history, and literature at Wolfe Hall, a private girls’ school. From 1898 to 1902, she worked at the Miss Wolcott School as the head of the high school academic department.</p> <p>In 1902 forty-two-year-old Helen Ring married Ewing Robinson and quit teaching; at the time, it was common for women to stop working when they married. In other respects, the Robinson marriage was less conventional. Helen and Ewing Robinson lived apart for some of their married life, and he did not participate in her public life. She did become a devoted stepmother to his daughter, Alcyon, with whom she maintained a close relationship all her life. Whatever its inner nature, Helen Robinson’s marriage appears to have provided her with financial security and the opportunity to devote her time to writing, politics, and eventually public office.</p> <h2>Writing, Speeches and Women’s Clubs</h2> <p>After her marriage, Robinson served as a freelance writer for local newspapers. She became well known in Denver for her book reviews, interviews with prominent authors and politicians, and columns about social justice issues. She traveled to Europe and interviewed the wives of famous writers, wrote a children’s adaptation of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous novel <em>Uncle Tom’s Cabin</em>, and reported on political events, including the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/1908-democratic-national-convention"><strong>1908 Democratic National Convention</strong></a> in Denver.</p> <p>Robinson also became involved in some of the many women’s clubs that proliferated across the country, and especially in Denver, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These clubs provided women an academic and a social avenue to enrich their lives. At a time when only a handful of states had granted women the right to vote, women used their clubs to champion issues that they cared about, including traveling libraries, orphanages and homes for indigent elderly women, and reforms of child labor, working people’s rights, marriage, and voting rights.</p> <p>Robinson’s most important club activity was the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/denver-woman%E2%80%99s-press-club"><strong>Denver Woman’s Press Club</strong></a>, which she joined in 1899. The club’s membership was made up of well-known women in the Denver writing and political community, and the contacts Robinson made in the club contributed to the success of her political career. She served as president of the organization in 1909­–10, was active on committees, and made frequent presentations to the group. She became a featured speaker at conventions and clubs throughout Colorado, acquiring a reputation as a feminine, maternal woman who spoke eloquently on the rights of women, children, and oppressed peoples.</p> <h2>“Housewife of the Senate”</h2> <p>Robinson’s club friends initially encouraged her to enter politics. After Colorado granted women the right to vote in 1893, women were being elected to the Colorado House of Representatives and to other statewide offices. In 1910 Robinson, too, turned to electoral politics. That year she ran for state superintendent of public institutions but lost the election to the incumbent woman.</p> <p>Less than two years later, in August 1912, Robinson announced her candidacy for the <strong>Democratic</strong> nomination for the Colorado State Senate. She won the primary and then was elected to the senate in a Democratic landslide, making her the first woman elected to the Colorado State Senate and just the second woman in the country to be elected to any state senate. She became known as Mrs. Senator Robinson. “I am going to be the housewife of the senate,” she said. “I shall take it upon myself to look after the women and children. I shall feel honored to introduce any laws drawn up for their welfare and protection.” She claimed that the men in the senate treated her as one of them, with the exception that they removed their hats and cigars when speaking to her.</p> <p>During her four years as a senator, Robinson fulfilled her promise to be the “housewife of the senate.” She sponsored and supported a wide variety of legislation aimed at improving the lives of women and children. Significantly, she sponsored a bill proposing a minimum wage for women, stating that women who were not paid a living wage were often forced into prostitution, and that if society tolerated low wages, it shared the blame for the social ills that followed.</p> <p>Robinson supported bills allowing women to serve on juries and strengthening food-safety regulations. She fought for a minimum wage for teachers, state support for education in rural and poor communities, and a minimum length for the school year. She introduced a bill stipulating that the state “consider the best interests of the child” for neglected children and proposed a committee to investigate the state insane asylum and recommend modern treatments.</p> <p>In 1914 Robinson was instrumental in helping to resolve the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/ludlow-massacre"><strong>Ludlow Massacre</strong></a>, the bloody culmination of a coal miners’ strike in southern Colorado. Robinson led other Colorado women in camping at the <a href="/article/colorado-state-capitol"><strong>State Capitol</strong></a> and demanding that Governor <strong>Elias Ammons </strong>call in federal troops to quell the violence. Robinson visited the massacre site in support of the miners and their families.</p> <h2>Women’s Suffrage</h2> <p>In the 1910s, Colorado was one of several states that allowed women the ballot, but suffragists in other states were still fighting for women’s right to vote. In addition to state-level suffrage campaigns, there was also a movement to add a women’s suffrage amendment to the US Constitution. “The best argument for woman suffrage,” Robinson said, “was the good old argument of democracy. Believe in democracy and you must believe in equal suffrage.”</p> <p>As the only female state senator in the nation in the mid-1910s, Robinson was a highly sought-after speaker. Her feminine demeanor, articulate and witty speaking style, and strident message were highly effective in gaining support for the suffrage cause. From 1913 to 1917, she traveled on speaking tours to other states. During one short tour she gave more than sixty speeches. She also served on panels and participated in debates across the country.</p> <p>Robinson decided not to seek reelection to the state senate in 1916, choosing instead to work as a national and international leader for suffrage and peace. She continued to be an important spokesperson for suffrage, traveling to other states, working with a multitude of suffrage groups, and advocating at both the state and national levels. As more states allowed women to vote, women and men increasingly voted for representatives who would support suffrage at the national level. On August 26, 1920, the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/19th-amendment"><strong>Nineteenth Amendment</strong></a> to the US Constitution was ratified, granting female citizens the right to vote.</p> <p>To educate female voters, Robinson wrote <em>Preparing Women for Citizenship</em>, which was published in 1918. She emphasized the need for women to rethink their role in society and to use their new right to advocate for human need rather than for profit.</p> <h2>Peace Movement and World War I</h2> <p>Alongside Robinson’s work on behalf of women’s suffrage, she was also active in the peace movement after the outbreak of World War I in Europe in 1914. Robinson joined other peace advocates on a vessel called the <em>Peace Ship </em>financed by Henry Ford, which sailed for Europe in 1915 to encourage neutral nations to help negotiate an end to the fighting. The mission was unsuccessful, and in 1917 the United States entered the war. Robinson then devoted herself to the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-world-war-i"><strong>war cause</strong></a>, serving on the Colorado State Women’s Council of Defense. She traveled throughout Colorado to raise money for Liberty Bonds.</p> <h2>Later Years</h2> <p>In her later years, Robinson continued to publish articles and columns on social and feminist issues. She also represented the United States in international gatherings of women in Madrid and Geneva. These meetings addressed the needs of women worldwide, including the right to vote.</p> <p>Robinson died on July 10, 1923, when she was about sixty-three. She lay in state in the Colorado State Capitol rotunda, with honor guards from the Denver Woman’s Press Club and the League of Women Voters. In 2014 she was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/duncan-elizabeth" hreflang="und">Duncan, Elizabeth</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/helen-ring-robinson" hreflang="en">Helen Ring Robinson</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/progressive-era" hreflang="en">Progressive Era</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/womens-suffrage" hreflang="en">Women&#039;s Suffrage</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/denver-womans-press-club" hreflang="en">Denver Woman&#039;s Press Club</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame, “<a href="https://www.cogreatwomen.org/project/helen-ring-robinson/">Helen Ring Robinson</a>,” n.d.</p> <p>Pat Pascoe, <em>Helen Ring Robinson: Colorado Senator and Suffragist</em> (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2011).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Gail M. Beaton, <em>Colorado Women: A History</em> (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2012).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-teacher-resources--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-teacher-resources.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-teacher-resources.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-teacher-resources field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-teacher-resources"><p><a href="/sites/default/files/ARS%20Helen%20Ring%20Robinson.docx">Helen Ring Robinson Teacher Resource Set (Word)</a></p> <p><a href="/sites/default/files/ARS%20Helen%20Ring%20Robinson.pdf">Helen Ring Robinson&nbsp;Teacher Resource Set (PDF)</a></p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-4th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-4th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-4th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-4th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-4th-grade"><p>Helen Ring Robinson (c. 1860–1923) was the first woman elected to the Colorado State Senate in 1912. She was the second woman elected to any state senate in the nation. She supported laws that helped women, children and working people. Robinson was a leader in women getting the right to vote. This right is called <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/womens-suffrage-movement"><strong>women’s suffrage</strong></a>.</p> <h2>Early Life and Teaching Career</h2> <p>Helen Margaret Ring was born in 1860. She grew up in Eastport, Maine. She was the sixth of nine children. Her family moved to Providence, Rhode Island. She graduated from high school around 1877.</p> <p>She attended Wellesley College for one year. She became a teacher. In 1893, she moved to <strong>Colorado Springs</strong> to teach at <strong>Colorado College</strong>. In 1895 she moved to <strong>Denver</strong>. From 1895 to 1902 she taught at private girls’ schools.</p> <p>In 1902, when she was forty-two, Helen Ring married Ewing Robinson. She became a stepmother to his daughter, Alcyon. At the time, women stopped teaching when they married. She stopped working and devoted her time to writing and politics.</p> <h2>Writing, Speeches and Women’s Clubs</h2> <p>Robinson wrote for local newspapers. She wrote articles about books, authors and politicians. She also reported on political events. This included reporting on the <strong>1908 Democratic National Convention</strong> in Denver.</p> <p>Women’s clubs were popular across the country. Robinson became involved in these clubs. The clubs enriched women’s lives outside their homes. Women used their clubs to work for issues that they cared about. These included building libraries, orphanages, and homes for elderly women. They also worked on child labor laws and voting rights for women.</p> <p>Robinson’s most important club was the <strong>Denver Woman’s Press Club</strong>. This club included women in Denver’s writing and political community. She was president in 1909­–10. She served on committees and made presentations. She spoke at conventions and clubs. She was known as a feminine, motherly woman who spoke about the rights of women and children.</p> <h2>“Housewife of the Senate”</h2> <p>Robinson’s club friends asked her to enter politics. Colorado gave women the right to vote in 1893. Since then, women had been elected to the Colorado House of Representatives and to other offices.</p> <p>In August 1912, Robinson decided to run for the Colorado State Senate. She was elected. She was the first woman elected to the Colorado State Senate. She was the second woman in the country to be elected to any state senate.</p> <p>She was known as Mrs. Senator Robinson. “I am going to be the housewife of the senate,” she said. “I shall take it upon myself to look after the women and children.” She said that the men in the senate treated her as one of them. However, they did remove their hats and cigars when speaking to her.</p> <p>Robinson served four years as a senator. She supported laws that improved the lives of women and children. Robinson thought women should serve on juries. She wanted safe food laws. She fought for education issues. These included minimum wage for teachers, funds for rural and poor schools, and a longer school year.</p> <p>In 1914 Robinson helped miners during the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/ludlow-massacre"><strong>Ludlow Massacre</strong></a>. This was a coal miners’ strike that had turned violent. Robinson and other women camped at the <strong>State Capitol</strong>. They wanted or <strong>Elias Ammons </strong>to send soldiers to stop the violence. Robinson visited the miners and their families.</p> <h2>Women’s Suffrage</h2> <p>In the 1910s, Colorado allowed women to vote. Suffragists in most other states were still fighting for women’s right to vote. “The best argument for woman suffrage,” Robinson said, “was the good old argument of democracy. Believe in democracy and you must believe in equal suffrage.”</p> <p>From 1913 to 1917, Robinson went on speaking tours to other states. During one tour she gave more than sixty speeches. People wanted to hear Robinson speak. This was because she was the only female state senator in the United States at the time. She helped to gain support for the suffrage cause.</p> <p>Robinson was a senator for four years. She did not run for senate again. She chose instead to work for suffrage. She worked with groups in different states and at the national level. On August 26, 1920, the <strong>Nineteenth Amendment</strong> to the US Constitution was ratified. Women citizens in America now had the right to vote.</p> <p>Robinson wrote&nbsp;a book, <em>Preparing Women for Citizenship </em>in 1918. It was a guide for how women could use their new right to vote.</p> <h2>Peace Movement and World War I</h2> <p>World War I started in Europe in 1914. Robinson was involved in the peace movement. Robinson joined peace advocates on the <em>Peace Ship</em> by Henry Ford. The ship sailed for Europe in 1915. They wanted to help end the fighting. They were unsuccessful.</p> <p>In 1917 the United States entered the war. Robinson then devoted herself to helping with the <strong>war cause</strong>.</p> <h2>Later Years</h2> <p>In her later years, Robinson published articles newspapers and magazines. She represented the United States in gatherings of women in Europe. These meetings were about the needs of women worldwide, including the right to vote.</p> <p>Robinson died on July 10, 1923, when she was sixty-three. She lay in state in the Colorado State Capitol. In 2014 she was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-8th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-8th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-8th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-8th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-8th-grade"><p>Helen Ring Robinson (c. 1860–1923) was the first woman elected to the Colorado State Senate in 1912. She was the second woman elected to any state senate in the nation. As a senator during the&nbsp;<strong>Progressive Era</strong>, she was an advocate for social reform. She supported legislation that helped women, children, working people, and the mentally ill. Robinson was a leader in the national effort for women’s voting rights. She traveled throughout the country giving speeches on <strong>women’s suffrage</strong>.</p> <h2>Early Life and Teaching Career</h2> <p>Helen Margaret Ring was born in Eastport, Maine, around 1860. She was the sixth of nine children. Her family moved to Providence, Rhode Island, where she graduated from high school around 1877.</p> <p>She attended Wellesley College for one year where she trained to be a teacher. Helen Ring taught school in Ohio and New York. She moved to <strong>Colorado Springs</strong> in 1893 to teach at <strong>Colorado College</strong>. In 1895 she moved to <strong>Denver</strong>, where she taught English and history at Wolfe Hall, a private girls’ school. From 1898 to 1902, she worked at the Miss Wolcott School as the head of the high school academic department.</p> <p>In 1902, when she was forty-two, Helen Ring married Ewing Robinson. She became a stepmother to his daughter, Alcyon, and they developed a close relationship. At the time, it was common for women to stop working when they married. She stopped teaching and devoted her time to writing, politics, and eventually public office.</p> <h2>Writing, Speeches and Women’s Clubs</h2> <p>After her marriage, Robinson became a well-known writer for local newspapers. She wrote book reviews and interviewed with prominent authors and politicians. She also wrote about social justice issues. She reported on political events, including the <strong>1908 Democratic National Convention</strong> in Denver.</p> <p>Robinson became involved in women’s clubs which were popular across the country. These clubs provided a way for women to enrich their lives outside their homes. Women used their clubs to advocate for issues that they cared about. These included building libraries, orphanages, and homes for elderly women. They also advocated for child labor laws and voting rights for women.</p> <p>Robinson’s most important club activity was the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/denver-woman%E2%80%99s-press-club"><strong>Denver Woman’s Press Club</strong></a>. The club’s membership included well-known women in Denver’s writing and political community. The club contributed to the success of Robinson’s political career. She served as president of the organization in 1909­–10. She served on committees and made presentations to the group. She became a speaker at conventions and clubs throughout Colorado. She was known as a feminine, maternal woman who spoke eloquently on the rights of women and children.</p> <h2>“Housewife of the Senate”</h2> <p>Robinson’s club friends encouraged her to enter politics. Colorado granted women the right to vote in 1893. Since then, women had been elected to the Colorado House of Representatives and to other statewide offices. In 1910 Robinson turned to politics. She ran for state superintendent of public institutions but lost the election to another woman.</p> <p>Less than two years later, in 1912, Robinson announced she would run for the <strong>Democratic</strong> nomination for the Colorado State Senate. She won the primary and was elected to the senate in a Democratic landslide. She became the first woman elected to the Colorado State Senate. She was the second woman in the country to be elected to any state senate.</p> <p>She became known as Mrs. Senator Robinson. “I am going to be the housewife of the senate,” she said. “I shall take it upon myself to look after the women and children. I shall feel honored to introduce any laws drawn up for their welfare and protection.” She claimed that the men in the senate treated her as one of them. The exception was that they removed their hats and cigars when speaking to her.</p> <p>Robinson served four years as a senator. She sponsored and supported laws that improved the lives of women and children. Significantly, she sponsored a bill proposing a minimum wage for women. She stated that all women should be paid a living wage. She believed that if low wages were tolerated, the government shared the blame for the social problems that followed.</p> <p>Robinson supported bills that allowed women to serve on juries. She advocated strengthening food-safety rules. She fought for education issues. These included minimum wage for teachers, state funding for education, and a minimum length for the school year. She asked the state “consider the best interests of the child” for neglected children. She proposed a committee to investigate the state insane asylum and recommended modern treatments.</p> <p>In 1914 Robinson helped to resolve the <strong>Ludlow Massacre</strong>. This was a coal miners’ strike in southern Colorado that had turned violent. Robinson led other Colorado women in camping at the <strong>State Capitol</strong>. They demanded that Governor <strong>Elias Ammons </strong>call in federal troops to stop the violence. Robinson visited the massacre site in support of the miners and their families.</p> <h2>Women’s Suffrage</h2> <p>In the 1910s, Colorado was one of several states that allowed women to vote. Suffragists in most other states were still fighting for women’s right to vote. There was a movement to add a women’s suffrage amendment to the US Constitution. “The best argument for woman suffrage,” Robinson said, “was the good old argument of democracy. Believe in democracy and you must believe in equal suffrage.”</p> <p>Robinson was a highly sought-after speaker because she was the only female state senator in the United States at the time. Her feminine manner, entertaining speaking style, and impassioned message helped to gain support for the suffrage cause. From 1913 to 1917, she went on speaking tours to other states. During one short tour she gave more than sixty speeches.</p> <p>Robinson did not to seek reelection to the state senate in 1916. She chose instead to work as a leader for suffrage. She worked with suffrage groups at both the state and national levels. As more states allowed women to vote, women and men increasingly voted for representatives who supported suffrage. On August 26, 1920, the <strong>Nineteenth Amendment</strong> to the US Constitution was ratified, granting female citizens the right to vote.</p> <p>To educate female voters, Robinson wrote <em>Preparing Women for Citizenship </em>in 1918. She emphasized the need for women to rethink their role in society. She thought they should use their new voting rights to advocate for human need rather than for profit.</p> <h2>Peace Movement and World War I</h2> <p>After the outbreak of World War I in Europe in 1914, Robinson became active in the peace movement. Robinson joined peace advocates on the <em>Peace Ship</em> financed by Henry Ford. The ship sailed for Europe in 1915 to encourage neutral nations to negotiate an end to the fighting. The mission was unsuccessful and in 1917 the United States entered the war. Robinson then devoted herself to the <strong>war cause</strong>. She served on the Colorado State Women’s Council of Defense. She traveled throughout Colorado to raise money for Liberty Bonds.</p> <h2>Later Years</h2> <p>In her later years, Robinson published articles and columns on social and women’s issues. She represented the United States in international gatherings of women in Madrid and Geneva. These meetings addressed the needs of women worldwide, including the right to vote.</p> <p>Robinson died on July 10, 1923, when she was about sixty-three. She lay in state in the Colorado State Capitol rotunda, with honor guards from the Denver Woman’s Press Club and the League of Women Voters. In 2014 she was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-10th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-10th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-10th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-10th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-10th-grade"><p>Helen Ring Robinson (c. 1860–1923) was the first woman elected to the Colorado State Senate in 1912 and the second woman elected to any state senate in the nation. In her role as senator during the <strong>Progressive Era</strong>, she was a passionate advocate for social reform. She supported legislation that helped women, children, working people, and the mentally ill. Robinson was a leader in the national effort for women’s voting rights. She traveled throughout the country giving speeches on <strong>women’s suffrage</strong>.</p> <h2>Early Life and Teaching Career</h2> <p>Helen Margaret Ring was born in Eastport, Maine, around 1860. She was the sixth of nine children. Her family moved to Providence, Rhode Island, where she graduated from high school around 1877.</p> <p>She attended Wellesley College for one year where she trained to be a teacher. Helen Ring taught school in Cleveland, Ohio and Yonkers, New York. She moved to <strong>Colorado</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> in 1893 to teach at <strong>Colorado College</strong>. In 1895 she moved to <strong>Denver</strong>, where she taught English, history, and literature at Wolfe Hall, a private girls’ school. From 1898 to 1902, she worked at the Miss Wolcott School as the head of the high school academic department.</p> <p>In 1902, when she was forty-two, Helen Ring married Ewing Robinson. She became a stepmother to his daughter, Alcyon, and they developed a close relationship. At the time, it was common for women to stop working when they married. She stopped teaching and devoted her time to writing, politics, and eventually public office.</p> <h2>Writing, Speeches and Women’s Clubs</h2> <p>After her marriage, Robinson became a well-known writer for local newspapers. She wrote book reviews, interviewed prominent authors and politicians, and wrote about social justice issues. She traveled to Europe and interviewed the wives of famous authors. She adapted Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous novel <em>Uncle Tom’s Cabin</em>, for children. She also reported on political events, the 1908 <strong>Democratic National Convention</strong> in Denver.</p> <p>Robinson became involved in the women’s clubs that proliferated across the country, and especially in Denver. These clubs provided women an academic and social way to enrich their lives. Colorado’s women were granted the right to vote in 1893. Women used their clubs to champion issues that they cared about. These issues included libraries, orphanages, homes for elderly women, child labor, and marriage and voting rights.</p> <p>Robinson’s most important club activity was the <strong>Denver Woman’s Press Club</strong>. She joined in 1899. The club’s membership was made up of well-known women in Denver’s writing and political community. The contacts Robinson made in the club contributed to the success of her political career. She served as president of the organization in 1909­–10, was active on committees, and made frequent presentations to the group. She became a featured speaker at conventions and clubs throughout Colorado. She gained a reputation as a feminine, maternal woman who spoke eloquently on the rights of women, children, and oppressed peoples.</p> <h2>“Housewife of the Senate”</h2> <p>Robinson’s club friends encouraged her to enter politics. Colorado granted women the right to vote in 1893. Since then, women had been elected to the Colorado House of Representatives and to other statewide offices. In 1910 Robinson, too, turned to politics. She ran for state superintendent of public institutions but lost the election to the incumbent woman.</p> <p>Less than two years later, in August 1912, Robinson announced her candidacy for the <strong>Democratic</strong> nomination for the Colorado State Senate. She won the primary and was elected to the senate in a Democratic landslide. She became the first woman elected to the Colorado State Senate. She was the second woman in the country to be elected to any state senate.</p> <p>She became known as Mrs. Senator Robinson. “I am going to be the housewife of the senate,” she said. “I shall take it upon myself to look after the women and children. I shall feel honored to introduce any laws drawn up for their welfare and protection.” She claimed that the men in the senate treated her as one of them, with the exception that they removed their hats and cigars when speaking to her.</p> <p>During her four years as a senator, Robinson sponsored and supported a wide variety of legislation aimed at improving the lives of women and children. Significantly, she sponsored a bill proposing a minimum wage for women. She stated that women who were not paid a living wage were often forced into prostitution. She believed that if society tolerated low wages, it shared the blame for the social ills that followed.</p> <p>Robinson supported bills that allowed women to serve on juries. She advocated strengthening food-safety rules. She fought for a minimum wage for teachers, state support for education in rural and poor communities, and a minimum length for the school year. She introduced a bill that asked the state “consider the best interests of the child” for neglected children. She proposed a committee to investigate the state insane asylum and recommend modern treatments.</p> <p>In 1914 Robinson was instrumental in helping to resolve the <strong>Ludlow Massacre</strong>. This was a coal miners’ strike in southern Colorado that had turned violent. Robinson led other Colorado women in camping at the <strong>State Capitol</strong>. They demanded that Governor <strong>Elias Ammons c</strong>all in federal troops to stop the violence. Robinson visited the massacre site in support of the miners and their families.</p> <h2>Women’s Suffrage</h2> <p>In the 1910s, Colorado was one of several states that allowed women to vote. Suffragists in other states were still fighting for the right to vote. There was also a movement to add a women’s suffrage amendment to the US Constitution. “The best argument for woman suffrage,” Robinson said, “was the good old argument of democracy. Believe in democracy and you must believe in equal suffrage.”</p> <p>Robinson was a highly sought-after speaker because she was the only female state senator in the United States in the mid-1910s. Her feminine manner, entertaining speaking style, and impassioned message helped to gain support for the suffrage cause. From 1913 to 1917, she traveled on speaking tours to other states. During one short tour she gave more than sixty speeches. She also served on panels and participated in debates across the country.</p> <p>Robinson decided not to seek reelection to the state senate in 1916. She chose instead to work as a national and international leader for suffrage and peace. She continued to be an important spokesperson for suffrage. She traveled to other states, worked with suffrage groups, and advocated at both state and national levels. As more states allowed women to vote, women and men increasingly voted for representatives who supported suffrage at the national level. On August 26, 1920, the <strong>Nineteenth Amendment</strong> to the US Constitution was ratified, granting female citizens the right to vote.</p> <p>To educate female voters, Robinson wrote<em> Preparing Women for Citizenship </em>in 1918. She emphasized the need for women to rethink their role in society and to use their new right to advocate for human need rather than for profit.</p> <h2>Peace Movement and World War I</h2> <p>After the outbreak of World War I in Europe in 1914, Robinson became active in the peace movement. Robinson joined other peace advocates on a vessel called the <em>Peace Ship</em> financed by Henry Ford. The ship sailed for Europe in 1915 to encourage neutral nations to help negotiate an end to the fighting. The mission was unsuccessful, and in 1917 the United States entered the war. Robinson then devoted herself to the <strong>war cause</strong>. She served on the Colorado State Women’s Council of Defense. She traveled throughout Colorado to raise money for Liberty Bonds.</p> <h2>Later Years</h2> <p>In her later years, Robinson continued to publish articles and columns on social and feminist issues. She also represented the United States in international gatherings of women in Madrid and Geneva. These meetings addressed the needs of women worldwide, including the right to vote.</p> <p>Robinson died on July 10, 1923, when she was about sixty-three. She lay in state in the Colorado State Capitol rotunda, with honor guards from the Denver Woman’s Press Club and the League of Women Voters. In 2014 she was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Wed, 15 Jan 2020 23:19:59 +0000 yongli 3130 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org The Denver Woman’s Press Club http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/denver-womans-press-club <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">The Denver Woman’s Press Club</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1461--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1461.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/burr-studiodenver-womans-press-club"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Press-Club-Media-1_0.jpg?itok=x46wo8Ns" width="1000" height="690" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/burr-studiodenver-womans-press-club" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Burr Studio/Denver Woman&#039;s Press Club</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Exterior photograph of the Burr Studio/Denver Woman's Press Club located in Denver. The club bought the house in 1924.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2016-06-21T14:53:38-06:00" title="Tuesday, June 21, 2016 - 14:53" class="datetime">Tue, 06/21/2016 - 14:53</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/denver-womans-press-club" data-a2a-title="The Denver Woman’s Press Club"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fdenver-womans-press-club&amp;title=The%20Denver%20Woman%E2%80%99s%20Press%20Club"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>The Denver Woman’s Press Club is an organization for women newspaper writers and authors founded in 1898. At the time of its founding, the club demonstrated the new social and political power of women through its involvement in a range of causes, including the <a href="/article/womens-suffrage-movement"><strong>women’s suffrage movement</strong></a> in the early twentieth century. Today, the club remains an active supporter of women writers through annual contests, scholarship programs, and fundraising events.</p> <h2>Founding</h2> <p>The Denver Woman’s Press Club was founded more by accident than by design, in an effort to keep <a href="/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a> from appearing backward to a visiting group of eastern club women. In 1898 Denver journalist <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/minnie-reynolds-scalabrino"><strong>Minnie Reynolds</strong></a> was contacted by the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/general-federation-women’s-clubs"><strong>General Federation of Women’s Clubs</strong></a>, which was planning its biennial meeting in Denver. The group asked Reynolds if the city had a club for newspaperwomen. Never at a loss for words or actions, Reynolds replied that it did and hastily organized a meeting of her female colleagues on March 18. She quickly developed a constitution and bylaws for the infant club and presented them to a group of seven women newspaper and magazine writers. The Denver Woman’s Press Club was suddenly an entity.</p> <p>Initially the club’s membership included a number of nonwriters. It was open to leading club women of the city and wives of well-known businessmen, as it occurred to the financially struggling reporters that the spacious homes of its associate members would be better suited for meetings and lectures than their own boarding house rooms. Through many years, the arrangement proved mutually beneficial.</p> <p>The founding members of the club included the first state superintendent of public instruction, Helen Marsh Wixson, as well as the first poet laureate named in the United States, <strong>Alice Polk Hill</strong>, and the first woman graduate of a Colorado medical school, <strong>Eleanor M. Lawney</strong>. The club also designated several honorary members, the most devoted being <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/mary-hauck-elitch-long"><strong>Mary Elitch Long</strong></a>, who with her first husband, <strong>John Elitch</strong>, founded the world-famous<a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/elitch-gardens"><strong> Elitch Zoo, Botanical Gardens, and Amusement Park</strong></a>. Mary Elitch remained a member and friend of the press club until her death in 1936.</p> <h2><strong>Activities</strong></h2> <p>The club’s primary goal of advancing and encouraging women writers first bore fruit in September 1899. When the club’s initial fiction and poetry contests were announced, participation was mandatory for all members. By 1928 it was merely a “club duty” to submit entries, and today, members are offered the opportunity to enter competitions with their peers.</p> <p>The club calculates its collective soul from the sum of its members’ creativity and spirit, and its poets have nourished that spirit in their own special way. Alice Polk Hill, named Colorado’s first <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-poetry"><strong>poet laureate</strong></a> in 1919, was the prototype poet laureate for the rest of the nation as well as a newspaper reporter, music teacher, and the first female member of the Colorado State Historical Society (now <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/history-colorado-colorado-historical-society"><strong>History Colorado</strong></a>). Another club member, Clyde Robertson, was named the state’s third poet laureate in 1952. Born in Indiana in 1870, she had an early career as a concert singer before poor health forced her to abandon the stage. Years spent in primitive mining towns with her engineer husband showed her a grittier side of life and provided poignant themes for her highly successful poetry.</p> <p>After the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/19th-amendment"><strong>Nineteenth Amendment</strong></a> was ratified in 1920, members of the Denver Woman’s Press Club never stopped campaigning to improve the lives of women. Its members were at the forefront of historic efforts in the 1920s for better working conditions for women and children. They were also determined to acquire a home of their own in Denver.</p> <h2>A Home of Their Own</h2> <p>Club members had talked about seeking a permanent meeting location as early as 1907, but nothing came of the discussions. As the homes of well-heeled hostesses became less available, the club met in local hotels for a while. Sites such as the Chappell House were offered, but the women would not settle for less than their own quarters. The search began in earnest around 1923, and by mid-1924 the club acquired the charming home of artist and ethicist George Elbert Burr, at 1325 Logan Street in <a href="/article/denver%E2%80%99s-capitol-hill"><strong>Denver’s Capitol Hill</strong></a> neighborhood. The $9,000 deal was closed on September 16, 1924. The Burrs donated some of George’s paintings to the club at the time of the purchase.</p> <p>For three years after the purchase, the women’s efforts focused on paying for the house. Because they were still mostly relegated to covering “society” and other subjects thought to be of interest only to women, women of the press were in an excellent position to offer the sort of fundraising events that would appeal to their followers. From 1924 to 1927, the club sponsored a series of fancy dress balls held every January to open the new social season. It was an ideal match: Denver’s financial, social, and political elite not only attended the dances but supported the club by purchasing program advertising. A 1924 ball raised funds for the $3,000 down payment on the house, and the remainder of the purchasing price was garnered by 1927.</p> <p>Even though they finally had their own headquarters, members of the Denver Woman’s Press Club quickly realized that the house was too small. Although an addition would have been ideal, the arrival of the Great Depression prevented it. But club members, always resourceful, found funds for its redecoration in 1935. The walls were covered in burlap, replacing the heavy velour hangings on which Burr had displayed his work. The women traded in their old piano and acquired a Chase piano for $495. <strong>Helen Bonfils</strong>, publisher of <strong><em>The Denver Post</em></strong>, opened the 1935 program year by delivering a speech in the newly redecorated house. Though not an active member, Bonfils was given honorary membership in 1955.</p> <p>Woman’s Press Club members were also involved in the efforts of both world wars. The club’s 1918 yearbook noted “In Service Overseas” Gertrude Orr, Leonel Ross O’Bryan, and Frances Wayne. Orr and O’Bryan worked with the American Red Cross in canteen services and publicity, and it is likely Wayne joined them there as there is no record of women covering the war at the front. During World War II, the club organized a “Writers Roundup” for soldiers who were writers or interested in writing. The project, held at the clubhouse, was jointly sponsored by the Colorado Authors’ League and the Poetry Fellowship of Colorado. The subject for a July 1942 presentation was “Writing for the Movies,” and speakers included writer Forbes Parkhill, playwright Mary Coyle Chase, and novelist Davis Dresser.</p> <h2>Today</h2> <p>Presently, as an outgrowth of its mission to encourage literary excellence, the Denver Woman’s Press Club holds an annual “Unknown Writers” contest. In recent years the contest has drawn up to 800 entries from throughout Colorado; each entry is read and commented on by a club member. The club awards several scholarships each year and supports other literary philanthropic projects. The club of the twenty-first century reflects the progress made by women writers over the past 100 years and the new opportunities available to them. No longer confined to being journalists, writers, and poets, club members now include historians, educators, attorneys, public relations professionals, and articulate advocates for women’s issues.</p> <p><strong>Adapted from Eva Hodges and Cle Cervi, “Founded by Accident: The Denver Woman’s Press Club,” <em>Colorado Heritage Magazine</em> 17, no. 4 (1997).</strong></p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/denver" hreflang="en">Denver</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/womans" hreflang="en">Woman&#039;s</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/press" hreflang="en">Press</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/club" hreflang="en">Club</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/denver-womans-press-club" hreflang="en">Denver Woman&#039;s Press Club</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Elizabeth V. Burt, <em>Women's Press Organizations, 1881–1999</em> (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000).</p> <p>Cle Cervi, <em>The Women Who Made the Headlines: Denver Woman’s Press Club: The First Hundred Years</em> (Lakewood, CO: Western Guideways, 1998).</p> <p><a href="https://dwpconline.org/">Denver Woman’s Press Club</a></p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Tue, 21 Jun 2016 20:53:38 +0000 yongli 1460 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org