%1 http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/ en Alice Hale Hill http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/alice-hale-hill <!-- 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">Alice Hale Hill</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="2021-02-16T12:59:34-07:00" title="Tuesday, February 16, 2021 - 12:59" class="datetime">Tue, 02/16/2021 - 12:59</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/alice-hale-hill" data-a2a-title="Alice Hale Hill"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Falice-hale-hill&amp;title=Alice%20Hale%20Hill"></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>Alice Hale Hill (1840–1908) was a <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a> philanthropist who helped lead institutions such as the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) and the Denver Free Kindergarten Association. Wife of <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/nathaniel-p-hill"><strong>Nathaniel P. Hill</strong></a>, a <strong>smelting</strong> entrepreneur and US senator, she created the first free kindergarten system in the state, helping to improve early education for all children regardless of family circumstances. She also helped lead the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/womens-suffrage-movement"><strong>women’s suffrage movement</strong></a> that resulted in female enfranchisement in 1893 in Colorado.</p> <h2>Early Life</h2> <p>Alice Hale was born on January 19, 1840, in Providence, Rhode Island, the oldest of Isaac Hale and Harriet Johnson Hale’s seven children. Little is known about her early life, but her family was locally prominent as descendants of Nathan Hale, a Revolutionary War hero. Her father, Isaac, was a watchmaker and jeweler by trade, and both parents were influential forces in the community and in the Baptist Church. Politically progressive, they actively supported female preachers and were outspoken abolitionists. Harriet Hale served as recording secretary for the Providence Female Anti-Slavery Society in the 1840s.</p> <h2>Looking West</h2> <p>On July 26, 1860, Alice Hale married Nathaniel P. Hill, a young chemistry professor at Brown University. They probably met at a church or social event in Providence. In 1862 they had a son, <strong>Crawford</strong>, and in 1864 a daughter, Isabel, before moving west to <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-territory"><strong>Colorado Territory</strong></a> in 1867. There, Nathaniel Hill established the territory’s first successful smelter in the mining town of <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/central-city%E2%80%93black-hawk-historic-district"><strong>Black Hawk</strong></a>, where the couple’s third child, Gertrude, was born in 1869. Two years later, Hill was elected mayor, and Alice Hill served as first lady of Black Hawk, becoming well known in <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/gilpin-county"><strong>Gilpin County</strong></a> for her kindness and hospitality.</p> <p>In 1879 Nathaniel Hill relocated his business and family from Black Hawk to Denver, where he and Alice quickly became arbiters of Denver’s elite social scene. At Fourteenth and Welton Streets, in the city’s first upper-crust neighborhood, the Hills built a mansion in the style of a French chateau, with three stories and twenty rooms. Their wealthy neighbors included the families of former governor <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/john-evans"><strong>John Evans</strong></a>, <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> publisher <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/william-n-byers"><strong>William Byers</strong></a>, and cattle king <strong>John Wesley Iliff</strong>. When Nathaniel served in the US Senate from 1879 to 1885, Alice maintained homes in Washington and Colorado, making both centers of hospitality and entertainment.</p> <h2>Philanthropic Work&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</h2> <p>In the 1880s, Alice Hill became involved with the woman’s club movement and various philanthropic organizations in Denver. Around 1880 she became an active member of the <strong>Ladies’ Relief Society</strong>, the state’s oldest charitable institution, which focused on providing care, shelter, and food for the needy. Hill eventually served as the group’s vice-president.</p> <p>In 1889 Hill began serving as the vice-regent of Colorado for the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, a group devoted to preserving George Washington’s Virginia plantation. She held the position until her death.</p> <p>Hill also helped establish the Denver Free Kindergarten Association, whose first meeting was held at her home on October 23, 1889. The organization provided free education to children ages 2.5 to 6 from working-class families who could not afford childcare or private instruction. Hill served as the organization’s president for nine years before it was absorbed into the Colorado public school system.</p> <p>In 1893, with women’s suffrage on the ballot in Colorado, Hill set her sights on propelling female enfranchisement. She helped circulate petitions throughout the state and was one of 100 women who established the City League of Denver, an organization that worked with the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/non-partisan-equal-suffrage-association"><strong>Non-Partisan Equal Suffrage Association of Colorado</strong></a> to garner support at the local level. She served as treasurer for the equal suffrage association’s Arapahoe branch and became a charter member of the <strong>Woman’s Club of Denver</strong>, which hosted suffrage events. Hill also passed her passion for female enfranchisement to her children; her daughter, Isabel, helped found the Young Women’s League in support of suffrage. The efforts of Hill and others like her resulted in success, as Colorado women’s suffrage was passed by popular referendum in November.</p> <p>In 1899 Hill was appointed to the State Board of Charities by Governor <strong>Alva Adams</strong>. Around that time, she also served for eight years as president of the Denver YWCA, an organization that started as the Woman’s Home Club in 1887. During her tenure as the YWCA’s leader, Hill raised or donated most of the funds needed to build and furnish a headquarters and clubhouse.</p> <h2>Legacy</h2> <p>&nbsp;Alice Hale Hill passed away on July 19, 1908. Her obituary in <strong><em>The</em></strong> <strong><em>Denver Post</em></strong> named her one of Denver’s most philanthropic women. Thanks to Hill’s efforts, Denver’s free kindergarten was adopted into the statewide public school system. Her passion for female enfranchisement contributed to the passage of women’s suffrage in Colorado. Her enhanced social position and elevated platform allowed her to push forward her progressive views to enrich the lives of all Coloradans for generations to come.</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/carr-shelby" hreflang="und">Carr, Shelby</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/alice-hill" hreflang="en">Alice Hill</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/nathaniel-hill" hreflang="en">Nathaniel Hill</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/black-hawk" hreflang="en">Black Hawk</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/smelting" hreflang="en">smelting</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/colorado-womens-history" hreflang="en">colorado women&#039;s history</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/womens-suffrage-colorado" hreflang="en">women&#039;s suffrage colorado</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/denver-free-kindergarten-association" hreflang="en">Denver Free Kindergarten Association</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/ywca" hreflang="en">YWCA</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/city-league-denver" hreflang="en">City League of Denver</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/womans-club-denver" hreflang="en">Woman&#039;s Club of Denver</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/ladies-relief-society" hreflang="en">Ladies&#039; Relief Society</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/crawford-hill" hreflang="en">Crawford Hill</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>“Alice Hale Hill,” manuscript, Marilyn Griggs Riley Papers, Box 2, FF32, Western History</p> <p>Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library.</p> <p>Ellen Fisher, “Alice Hale Hill Collection Forward,” Collection 308, Stephen H. Hart Library and Research Center, History Colorado Center, Denver.</p> <p>Scott M. Gibson, <em>A. J. Gordon: American Premillennialist</em> (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2001).</p> <p>Ida Husted Harper and Anthony, Susan B. Anthony, eds., <em>History of Woman Suffrage, </em>vol 4. (Rochester, NY: Susan B. Anthony, 1902).</p> <p>“Mrs. N. P. Hill Is Dead After Long Distinguished Life,” <em>The Denver Post</em>, July 20, 1908.</p> <p>James Alexander Semple, “Mrs. N. P. Hill,” in <em>Representative Women of Colorado</em>, 2nd ed. (Denver: Williamson-Haffner Company, 1914).</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> <p>David N. Wetzel, ed., <em>Women’s Clubs of Denver,</em> Essays in Colorado History, no. 13 (Denver: Colorado Historical Society, 1993).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Tue, 16 Feb 2021 19:59:34 +0000 yongli 3535 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Sarah Platt Decker http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/sarah-platt-decker <!-- 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">Sarah Platt Decker</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--3702--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--3702.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/sarah-platt-decker"> <!-- 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/Mrs._Sarah_Platt_Decker_portrait%2C_LCCN94508346_%28cropped%29.tif__0.jpg?itok=A6aiXcbS" width="800" height="1067" 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/sarah-platt-decker" 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">Sarah Platt Decker</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>Sarah Platt Decker was an American <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/womens-suffrage-movement"><strong>suffragist</strong></a> in <a href="/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a> who played a critical role in Colorado women gaining the vote in 1893. She founded the <strong>Woman's Club of Denver</strong> and served as the national president of the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/general-federation-women%E2%80%99s-clubs"><strong>General Federation of Women's Clubs</strong></a> from 1904 to 1908.</p>&#13; </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="2020-03-13T14:18:42-06:00" title="Friday, March 13, 2020 - 14:18" class="datetime">Fri, 03/13/2020 - 14:18</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/sarah-platt-decker" data-a2a-title="Sarah Platt Decker"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fsarah-platt-decker&amp;title=Sarah%20Platt%20Decker"></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>Sarah Platt Decker (1855–1912) was a beloved leader of women, known nationwide for her advocacy of <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/womens-suffrage-movement"><strong>women’s suffrage</strong></a> and social reform. Her influence was instrumental in the 1893 vote that gave Colorado women equal suffrage. She later became the founder and first president of the <strong>Woman’s Club of Denver</strong> and served as president of the <strong><a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/general-federation-women%E2%80%99s-clubs">General Federation of Women’s Clubs</a></strong>, which evolved under her leadership to become a national platform for women’s issues. In addition to working for social reform, she also championed conservation and successfully pushed for the establishment of Colorado’s <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/mesa-verde-national-park"><strong>Mesa Verde National Park</strong></a> in 1906.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Early Life</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Sarah Sophia Chase was born on October 1, 1855, in McIndoe Falls, Vermont, the fifth of seven children born to Edwin and Lydia (Adams) Chase. The family moved to Mt. Holyoke, Massachusetts, where her father started a lumber and paper-manufacturing business.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Sarah’s mother was a descendant of the famous Adams family of Massachusetts. Her father was a prominent antislavery and temperance advocate. He was a passionate orator known as “the fighting deacon.” Sarah, too, became involved in social reform. As a young woman, she was named a trustee of a fund for the poor of Mt. Holyoke. Helping the less fortunate became her lifelong passion.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Sarah’s formal schooling ended when she graduated from high school. In 1875, at age twenty, she married Charles B. Harris, a Mt. Holyoke merchant. When he died two years later, she experienced the lack of legal rights that women faced at the time. All her possessions, many of them wedding gifts and items she had inherited from her own family, were divided among members of her husband’s family. They left her with only one-third of her possessions, known as “a widow’s third.” She was so distressed and disgusted that she dropped her husband’s last name. The experience helped cement her lifelong beliefs in women’s suffrage and legal rights for women.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1884, at age twenty-eight, she met and married Colonel <strong>James H. Platt</strong>, a Civil War veteran, physician, and three-term US congressman from Virginia. They lived briefly in Queens, New York, where they worked at the Mineola Children’s Home and where Sara became involved in the child-welfare movement. In 1885 their only child, Harriet Platt, was born.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Move to Denver</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1887 the Platts moved to <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a>, where James founded a paper mill and Sarah became involved in civic life. For example, she led the relief efforts for Coloradans devastated by the <a href="/article/panic-1893"><strong>Panic of 1893</strong></a> and the repeal of the <strong>Sherman Silver Purchase Act</strong>, which shuttered mines across the state. She helped the city provide a tent camp for homeless men and relief for others affected by the economic slump. At the same time, she served as a powerful campaigner for the referendum that won the vote for Colorado women in 1893. In her obituary many years later, the <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> assigned her “a great share of the credit” for the victory.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>With suffrage achieved, Platt extended her influence into other areas of political and social reform. In 1896 she worked for presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan and gained recognition as an organizer and speaker. She also remained involved in local civic affairs throughout her life, serving on the Colorado State Board of Pardons, the State Board of Charities and Corrections, the Advisory Board of the Denver County Hospital, and the Child Labor League.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>The Woman’s Club of Denver</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Platt found her true calling when she became involved in the women’s club movement. Starting in the mid-1800s, women’s clubs had become a popular venue for women to meet, providing them an intellectual and social outlet. By the 1890s, these clubs were shifting from social and study clubs to civic and social welfare groups. Platt played a key role in this transition, especially in Colorado. In 1894 she helped to organize and was elected the first president of the Woman’s Club of Denver, which united women’s clubs across Denver under a single organization.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Under Platt’s leadership, club members throughout the Denver area were challenged to consider “women’s work” to be the improvement of society. She instituted standing committees on public service, city improvement, temperance, public health, civil service, and legislation. Denver benefited from this new agenda as women’s clubs moved into the public realm. For example, women’s clubs opened libraries and sponsored traveling libraries, set up supervised playgrounds for children, established night classes and English-language classes for immigrant workers, opened free employment bureaus, sought to end child labor, offered medical care for the poor and working mothers, and opened nursery schools.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1896 Platt won acclaim for her speech at the biennial convention of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs in Kentucky, in which she emphasized the importance of the clubs’ social service work and cited the work being done in Colorado. Two years later, the Woman’s Club of Denver hosted the federation’s convention. Platt’s ability to manage the conference and her inspiring oratory vaulted her to national attention. She was elected vice president of the General Federation that year.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>As her profile rose on the national stage, Platt suffered significant losses at home. In 1894 James Platt died in a boating accident. Five years later, she married Judge <strong>Westbrook S. Decker</strong>, a friend of her late husband and the attorney for his estate. In 1902 Sarah Platt Decker declined to run for president of the General Federation, perhaps out of concerns for her husband’s health. Judge Decker died in 1903; thus, by the age of forty-eight, she had outlived all three of her husbands.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>The General Federation of Women’s Clubs</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>After Judge Decker’s death, Sarah Platt Decker accepted the presidency of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs and served two terms, from 1904 to 1908. Established in 1890, the General Federation served as an umbrella group for thousands of women’s clubs that represented more than 1 million women by 1910. Decker is credited with expanding the organization into a national force and a voice for American women during her presidency. She travelled extensively, visiting more than forty state federations and delivering speeches lauded for their wit, wisdom, and common sense. She also reached beyond the federation by publishing articles that made her widely known and admired.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>One of Decker’s lasting organizational contributions to the federation was the establishment of the Bureau of Information, which collected and distributed reports of club activities across the nation. The bureau facilitated communication between and among clubs and forged a closer link between the General Federation and individual clubs.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Decker also enlarged the federation’s range of interest and activism. Civil service reform, public education, child labor, juvenile justice, and public health were high on her agenda. Other issues tackled by the General Federation during Decker’s presidency centered on women’s lives at home. These concerns included promotion of home economics classes in public schools; national lobbying to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act to protect the public from misrepresentation of food, drugs, and cosmetics; and dress reform to allow women to wear practical-yet-modest clothing that did not restrict their movement.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Finally, Decker believed in the conservation of national resources and inspired women in the federation to advocate for new state and national parks. Her signature achievement was the establishment of Colorado’s <strong><a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/mesa-verde-national-park">Mesa Verde National Park</a></strong> in 1906. In 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt invited Decker to attend the Governors’ Conference on Conservation of Natural Resources at the White House; she was the only female delegate.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Later Years and Legacy</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1908 Decker stepped down from the presidency of the General Federation but maintained her active involvement in the organization. She chaired committees, gave speeches, and advocated for a variety of issues. She also remained active in Colorado and Denver politics, and helped to establish the liberal Citizen’s Party.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In early 1912, some Coloradans suggested Decker as a candidate for the US Senate, with a few even proposing her as a potential presidential candidate. At a time when only a handful of western states, including Colorado, allowed women the vote, it was extraordinary for a woman to be considered for national political office. She was seen as a strong contender for the Senate nomination, but it was not to be. In July 1912, she was in San Francisco for the General Federation’s biennial convention when she collapsed from an abdominal obstruction. Despite emergency surgery, Decker died two days later at the age of fifty-six.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Decker’s death was front-page news in Colorado and across the nation. She was the first woman to be given the honor of lying in state in the Colorado <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-state-capitol"><strong>State Capitol</strong></a>. Flags were lowered to half-mast and government offices closed for her funeral. Three Colorado governors—including the sitting governor, <strong>John Shafroth</strong>—served as her pallbearers. In a tribute to Decker, former governor <strong>Alva Adams</strong> declared, “She was the most popular and perhaps the greatest citizen of the state.” Women’s clubs across the country mourned her passing.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Decker Branch of the <strong>Denver Public Library</strong>, which opened in 1913, was named in her honor; it is located at the corner of <strong>Platt Park</strong>, whose name honors her second husband. The <strong>University of Northern Colorado</strong> offers a Sarah Platt Decker Memorial Scholarship for female students interested in social justice. In 1990 Decker was inducted into the <strong>Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame</strong>.</p>&#13; </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/sarah-platt-decker" hreflang="en">sarah platt decker</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/james-platt" hreflang="en">james platt</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/mesa-verde-national-park" hreflang="en">Mesa Verde National Park</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/womans-club-denver" hreflang="en">Woman&#039;s Club of Denver</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/general-federation-womens-clubs" hreflang="en">general federation of women&#039;s clubs</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/westbrook-decker" hreflang="en">westbrook decker</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/decker-branch-library" hreflang="en">Decker Branch Library</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>Denver Public Library, “The Decker Branch Library,” pamphlet available at Decker Branch Library, n.d.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Denver Public Library, “Sarah S. Platt Decker,” pamphlet available at Decker Branch Library, n.d.</p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://www.gfwc.org/">General Federation of Women’s Clubs</a>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Ellis Meredith, ed., <em>Favorite Poems of Sarah Platt Decker </em>(Denver: Smith-Brooks Press, 1912).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Clifford E. Rinehart, “Decker, Sarah Sophia Chase Platt,” in <em>Notable American Women, 1607–1950: A Biographical Dictionary</em>, ed. Edward T. James, vol. 1 (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1971).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Jeanne Varnell, <em>Women of Consequence: The Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame </em>(Boulder, CO: Johnson Books, 1999).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Mildred White Wells, <em>Unity in Diversity: The History of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs</em> (Washington, DC: General Federation of Women’s Clubs, 1953).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Diane Harrison Werne, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1500907">Decker, Sarah Sophia Chase Platt</a>,” <em>American National Biography Online</em>, February 2000.</p>&#13; </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>&#13; </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-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>Sarah Platt Decker (1855–1912) was an important leader in the 1893 vote that gave Colorado women the vote. This is called equal suffrage. She was the first president of the <strong>Woman’s Club of Denver</strong>. Then she served as president of the <strong>General Federation of Women’s Clubs</strong>. She helped to establish Colorado’s <strong>Mesa Verde National Park</strong> in 1906.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Early Life</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Sarah Sophia Chase was born on October 1, 1855, in McIndoe Falls, Vermont. She was the fifth of seven children. Her parents were Edwin and Lydia (Adams) Chase. The family moved to Mt. Holyoke, Massachusetts, where her father owned a lumber and paper mill.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Her father spoke against slavery. He was known as “the fighting deacon.” Sarah became involved in helping others. As a young woman, she helped with a fund for the poor. Helping the less fortunate became her lifelong passion.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Sarah’s schooling ended when she graduated from high school. In 1875, at age twenty, she married Charles B. Harris. When he died two years later, she experienced unfairness of the law. According to the law, most of what she owned was given to her husband’s family. Many of the items were wedding gifts or things she had inherited from her own family. She was so upset that she dropped her husband’s last name. This helped Sarah form her lifelong beliefs in voting and legal rights for women.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1884, at age twenty-eight, she met and married Colonel <strong>James H. Platt</strong>. He was a Civil War veteran and a physician. They lived in Queens, New York, where they worked at a children’s home. In 1885, their only child, Harriet Platt, was born.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Move to Denver</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1887 the Platts moved to <strong>Denver.</strong> James founded a paper mill. Sarah became involved in Denver’s community life.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Sarah was an important voice for suffrage for women in Colorado. In 1893, women got the vote in Colorado. The<strong><em> Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> said that Platt had “a great share of the credit” for the victory.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>The Woman’s Club of Denver</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Platt became involved with women’s clubs. These were a popular way for women to get together. In the 1890s, these clubs started working on social issues. In 1894 Platt was elected the first president of the Woman’s Club of Denver. This group united women’s clubs across Denver under a single organization.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Under Platt’s leadership, club members worked to improve society. For example, they opened libraries, set up playgrounds for children, and started English-language classes. They opened job centers, offered medical care for the poor, and started preschools.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1896 Platt gave a speech at the meeting of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs in Kentucky. The speech told about the kind of work being done in Colorado. Two years later, the Woman’s Club of Denver hosted the next meeting. Platt’s gave another inspiring speech. As a result, she was elected vice president of the General Federation.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>During this time, some sad things happened in her life. In 1894 James Platt died in a boating accident. Five years later, she married Judge <strong>Westbrook S. Decker</strong> who died in 1903. By the time she was forty-eight, she had outlived all three of her husbands.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>The General Federation of Women’s Clubs</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>After Judge Decker’s death, Sarah Platt Decker became the president of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. She served from 1904 to 1908. The General Federation was a group of thousands of women’s clubs. It  represented more than 1 million women by 1910. She visited more than forty states. She gave speeches filled with wisdom and common sense. She wrote articles that made her known and admired.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Decker inspired women to advocate for new state and national parks. She helped to establish of Colorado’s <strong>Mesa Verde National Park</strong> in 1906.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Later Years and Legacy</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1908 her term with the General Federation ended. She was still involved in the organization. She chaired committees, gave speeches, and supported different issues. She remained active in Colorado and Denver politics.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1912, some Coloradans wanted Decker to be a candidate for the US Senate. This was at a time when only a handful of states, including Colorado, allowed women the vote. It was extraordinary for a woman to be considered for national political office. But sadly, it was not to be.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In July 1912, she was in San Francisco for the General Federation’s meeting. She collapsed from stomach pains. Despite emergency surgery, Decker died two days later. She was fifty-six years old.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Decker’s death was front-page news in Colorado and across the nation. She lay in state in the Colorado <strong>State Capitol</strong>. Flags were lowered to half-mast. Government offices closed for her funeral. Three Colorado governors carried her casket. Governor <strong>Alva Adams</strong> declared, “She was the most popular and perhaps the greatest citizen of the state.” Women’s clubs across the country mourned her passing.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Decker Branch of the <strong>Denver Public Library</strong> was named in her honor. It opened in 1913. It is located at the corner of <strong>Platt Park</strong>, whose name honors her second husband. The <strong>University of Northern Colorado o</strong>ffers a Sarah Platt Decker Memorial Scholarship. It is for female students interested in social justice. In 1990 Decker was inducted into the <strong>Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame</strong>.</p>&#13; </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>Sarah Platt Decker (1855–1912) was known across America for her advocacy of <strong>women’s suffrage</strong> and social reform. She was an important leader in the 1893 vote that gave Colorado women the vote. This is called equal suffrage. She became the founder and first president of the <strong>Woman’s Club of Denver</strong>. Then she served as president of the <strong>General Federation of Women’s Clubs</strong>. Under her leadership it became a national platform for women’s issues and social reform. She championed conservation and helped to push for the establishment of Colorado’s <strong>Mesa Verde National Park</strong> in1906.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Early Life</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Sarah Sophia Chase was born on October 1, 1855, in McIndoe Falls, Vermont. She was the fifth of seven children born to Edwin and Lydia (Adams) Chase. The family moved to Mt. Holyoke, Massachusetts, where her father owned a lumber and paper mill.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Sarah’s mother was a descendant of the famous Adams family of Massachusetts. Her father was a prominent antislavery and temperance advocate. He was a passionate speaker known as “the fighting deacon.” Sarah, also, became involved in social reform. As a young woman, she was named a trustee of a fund for the poor of Mt. Holyoke. Helping the less fortunate became her lifelong passion.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Sarah’s schooling ended when she graduated from high school. In 1875, at age twenty, she married Charles B. Harris, a Mt. Holyoke merchant. When he died two years later, she experienced the lack of legal rights that women faced at the time. All her possessions were divided among members of her husband’s family. Many of the items were wedding gifts or things she had inherited from her own family. She was left with only one-third of her possessions, known as “a widow’s third.” She was so upset that she dropped her husband’s last name. The experience helped cement her lifelong beliefs in suffrage and legal rights for women.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1884, at age twenty-eight, she met and married Colonel <strong>James H. Platt</strong>. He was a Civil War veteran, physician, and US congressman from Virginia. They lived in Queens, New York, where they worked at a children’s home. In 1885, their only child, Harriet Platt, was born.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Move to Denver</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1887 the Platts moved to <strong>Denver</strong>, where James founded a paper mill. Sarah became involved in Denver’s civic life. In 1893, she helped Coloradans devastated by the repeal of the <strong>Sherman Silver Purchase Act</strong>. Mines across the state were closed. She helped the city provide a tent camp and relief for the unemployed.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>She became an influential voice for suffrage for women in Colorado. In 1893, women got the vote in Colorado. In her obituary, the <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News </em></strong>said that Platt had “a great share of the credit” for the victory.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Platt extended her influence into other areas of political and social reform. In 1896 she worked for presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan and gained recognition as an organizer and speaker. She remained involved in local affairs throughout her life. She served on the Colorado State Board of Pardons, the State Board of Charities and Corrections, the Advisory Board of the Denver County Hospital, and the Child Labor League.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>The Woman’s Club of Denver</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Platt found her true calling when she became involved in the women’s club movement. Starting in the mid-1800s, women’s clubs were a popular way for women to have intellectual and social interactions.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By the 1890s, these clubs were changing. They began to work on social issues. Platt played a key role in this transition, especially in Colorado. In 1894 she was elected the first president of the Woman’s Club of Denver. This group united women’s clubs across Denver under a single organization.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Under Platt’s leadership, club members worked toward the improvement of society. She created committees on public service, city improvement, temperance, public health, civil service, and legislation.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Women’s clubs worked to improve the Denver community. For example, they opened libraries, set up playgrounds for children, established night classes and English-language classes for immigrant workers. They opened employment bureaus, sought to end child labor, offered medical care for the poor, and opened nursery schools.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1896 Platt gave a speech at the convention of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs in Kentucky. The speech emphasized the importance of clubs’ social service work and cited the work being done in Colorado. Two years later, the Woman’s Club of Denver hosted the convention. Platt’s ability to manage the conference and another inspiring speech vaulted her to national attention. She was elected vice president of the General Federation that year.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>During this time, Platt suffered personal losses at home. In 1894 James Platt died in a boating accident. Five years later, she married Judge<strong> Westbrook S. Decker</strong>. In 1902, Sarah Platt Decker declined to run for president of the General Federation, perhaps out of concerns for her husband’s health. Judge Decker died in 1903. Thus, by the age of forty-eight, she had outlived all three of her husbands.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>The General Federation of Women’s Clubs</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>After Judge Decker’s death, Sarah Platt Decker became the president of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. She served two terms, from 1904 to 1908. The General Federation was a group of thousands of women’s clubs that represented more than 1 million women by 1910. Decker expanded the organization to become a voice for American women. She travelled extensively, visiting more than forty state federations. She delivered speeches known for their wit, wisdom, and common sense. She also published articles that made her widely known and admired.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Decker enlarged the federation’s range of interest and activism. Civil service reform, public education, child labor, juvenile justice, and public health were high on her agenda. The organization promoted home economics classes in public schools. She also championed dress reform to allow women to wear practical-yet-modest clothing that did not restrict their movement.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Finally, Decker believed in the preservation of national resources. She inspired women in the federation to advocate for new state and national parks. Her largest achievement was the establishment of Colorado’s <strong>Mesa Verde National Park</strong> in 1906. In 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt invited Decker to attend the Governors’ Conference on Conservation of Natural Resources at the White House. She was the only female delegate.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Later Years and Legacy</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1908 Decker stepped down from the presidency of the General Federation. She remained active in the organization. She chaired committees, gave speeches, and supported a variety of issues. She stayed active in Colorado and Denver politics, and helped to establish the liberal Citizen’s Party.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In early 1912, some Coloradans suggested Decker as a candidate for the US Senate. Some even proposed her as a potential presidential candidate. This was at a time when only a handful of western states, including Colorado, allowed women the vote. It was extraordinary for a woman to be considered for national political office. She was a strong candidate for the Senate nomination, but it was not to be.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In July 1912, she was in San Francisco for the General Federation’s biennial convention. She collapsed from an abdominal obstruction. Despite emergency surgery, Decker died two days later at the age of fifty-six.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Decker’s death was front-page news in Colorado and across the nation. She was the first woman to be given the honor of lying in state in the Colorado <strong>State Capitol</strong>. Flags were lowered to half-mast and government offices closed for her funeral. Three Colorado governors—including the current governor, <strong>John Shafroth</strong>—served as her pallbearers. In a tribute to Decker, former governor <strong>Alva Adams</strong> declared, “She was the most popular and perhaps the greatest citizen of the state.” Women’s clubs across the country mourned her passing.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Decker Branch of the <strong>Denver Public Library</strong>, which opened in 1913, is named in her honor. It is located at the corner of <strong>Platt Park</strong>, whose name honors her second husband. The <strong>University of Northern Colorado</strong> offers a Sarah Platt Decker Memorial Scholarship for female students interested in social justice. In 1990 Decker was inducted into the <strong>Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame</strong>.</p>&#13; </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>Sarah Platt Decker (1855–1912) was known nationwide for her advocacy of <strong>women’s suffrage</strong> and social reform. Her influence was instrumental in the 1893 vote that gave Colorado women equal suffrage. She later became the founder and first president of the <strong>Woman’s Club of Denver</strong>. Then she served as president of the <strong>General Federation of Women’s Clubs</strong>, which evolved under her leadership to become a national platform for women’s issues. In addition to working for social reform, she also championed conservation and successfully pushed for the establishment of Colorado’s <strong>Mesa Verde National Park</strong> in 1906.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Early Life</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Sarah Sophia Chase was born on October 1, 1855, in McIndoe Falls, Vermont. She was the fifth of seven children born to Edwin and Lydia (Adams) Chase. The family moved to Mt. Holyoke, Massachusetts, where her father owned a lumber and paper mill.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Sarah’s mother was a descendant of the famous Adams family of Massachusetts. Her father was a prominent antislavery and temperance advocate. He was a passionate orator known as “the fighting deacon.” Sarah, too, became involved in social reform. As a young woman, she was named a trustee of a fund for the poor of Mt. Holyoke. Helping the less fortunate became her lifelong passion.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Sarah’s formal schooling ended when she graduated from high school. In 1875, at age twenty, she married Charles B. Harris, a Mt. Holyoke merchant. When he died two years later, she experienced the lack of legal rights that women faced at the time. All her possessions were divided among members of her husband’s family. Many of the items were wedding gifts or things she had inherited from her own family. She was left with only one-third of her possessions, known as “a widow’s third.” She was so distressed and disgusted that she dropped her husband’s last name. The experience helped cement her lifelong beliefs in women’s suffrage and legal rights for women.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1884, at age twenty-eight, she met and married Colonel <strong>James H. Platt</strong>, a Civil War veteran, physician, and three-term US congressman from Virginia. They lived briefly in Queens, New York, where they worked at the Mineola Children’s Home and where Sarah became involved in the child-welfare movement. In 1885 their only child, Harriet Platt, was born.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Move to Denver</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1887 the Platts moved to <strong>Denver</strong>, where James founded a paper mill and Sarah became involved in civic life. In 1893, for example, she led the relief efforts for Coloradans devastated by the repeal of the <strong>Sherman Silver Purchase Act</strong>. Mines across the state were closed. She helped the city provide a tent camp for the unemployed and relief for those affected.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>She was a powerful campaigner for the referendum that won the vote for Colorado women in 1893. In her obituary many years later, the <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> assigned her “a great share of the credit” for the victory.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>With suffrage achieved, Platt extended her influence into other areas of political and social reform. In 1896 she worked for presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan and gained recognition as an organizer and speaker. She remained involved in local civic affairs throughout her life. She served on the Colorado State Board of Pardons, the State Board of Charities and Corrections, the Advisory Board of the Denver County Hospital, and the Child Labor League.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>The Woman’s Club of Denver</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Platt found her true calling when she became involved in the women’s club movement. Starting in the mid-1800s, women’s clubs had become a popular way for women to meet. The clubs provided them with an intellectual and social outlet.</p>&#13; &#13; <p> By the 1890s, these clubs were changing and becoming groups that worked on social issues. Platt played a key role in this transition, especially in Colorado. In 1894 she was elected the first president of the Woman’s Club of Denver, which united women’s clubs across Denver under a single organization.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Under Platt’s leadership, club members throughout Denver were asked to consider “women’s work” to be the improvement of society. She instituted standing committees on public service, city improvement, temperance, public health, civil service, and legislation.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Denver benefited from this new agenda as women’s clubs moved into the public realm. For example, women’s clubs opened libraries, set up playgrounds for children, established night classes and English-language classes for immigrant workers, opened free employment bureaus, sought to end child labor, offered medical care for the poor, and opened nursery schools.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1896 Platt won acclaim for her speech at the convention of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs in Kentucky.  She emphasized the importance of social service work and cited the work being done in Colorado. Two years later, the Woman’s Club of Denver hosted the federation’s convention. Platt’s ability to manage the conference and an inspiring speech vaulted her to national attention. She was elected vice president of the General Federation that year.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>During this time, Platt suffered significant losses at home. In 1894 James Platt died in a boating accident. Five years later, she married Judge <strong>Westbrook S. Decker</strong>, a friend of her late husband and the attorney for his estate. In 1902 she declined to run for president of the General Federation, perhaps out of concerns for her husband’s health. Judge Decker died in 1903. Thus, by the age of forty-eight, she had outlived all three of her husbands.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>The General Federation of Women’s Clubs</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>After Judge Decker’s death, Sarah Platt Decker accepted the presidency of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs and served two terms, from 1904 to 1908. Established in 1890, the General Federation served as an umbrella group for thousands of women’s clubs that represented more than 1 million women by 1910. Decker expanded the organization into a national force and a voice for American women. She travelled extensively, visiting more than forty state federations. She delivered speeches lauded for their wit, wisdom, and common sense. She also reached beyond the federation by publishing articles that made her widely known and admired.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>One of Decker’s lasting contributions to the federation was the establishment of the Bureau of Information, which collected and distributed reports of club activities across the nation. The bureau facilitated communication between clubs and forged a closer link between the General Federation and individual clubs.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Decker also enlarged the federation’s range of interest and activism. Civil service reform, public education, child labor, juvenile justice, and public health were high on her agenda. Other issues tackled by the General Federation during Decker’s presidency centered on women’s lives at home. These concerns included promoting home economics classes in public schools; national lobbying to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act to protect the public from misrepresentation of food, drugs, and cosmetics; and dress reform to allow women to wear practical-yet-modest clothing that did not restrict their movement.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Finally, Decker believed in the conservation of national resources. She inspired women in the federation to advocate for new state and national parks. Her signature achievement was the establishment of Colorado’s <strong>Mesa Verde National Park</strong> in 1906. In 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt invited Decker to attend the Governors’ Conference on Conservation of Natural Resources at the White House where she was the only female delegate.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Later Years and Legacy</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1908 Decker stepped down from the presidency of the General Federation but maintained her active involvement in the organization. She chaired committees, gave speeches, and advocated for a variety of issues. She also remained active in Colorado and Denver politics, and helped to establish the liberal Citizen’s Party.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In early 1912, some Coloradans suggested Decker as a candidate for the US Senate. A few even proposed her as a potential presidential candidate. At a time when only a handful of western states, including Colorado, allowed women the vote, it was extraordinary for a woman to be considered for national political office. She was seen as a strong contender for the Senate nomination, but it was not to be.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In July 1912, she was in San Francisco for the General Federation’s biennial convention when she collapsed from an abdominal obstruction. Despite emergency surgery, Decker died two days later at the age of fifty-six.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Decker’s death was front-page news in Colorado and across the nation. She was the first woman to be given the honor of lying in state in the Colorado <strong>State Capitol</strong>. Flags were lowered to half-mast and government offices closed for her funeral. Three Colorado governors—including the sitting governor, <strong>John Shafroth</strong>—served as her pallbearers. In a tribute to Decker, former governor <strong>Alva Adams</strong> declared, “She was the most popular and perhaps the greatest citizen of the state.” Women’s clubs across the country mourned her passing.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Decker Branch of the <strong>Denver Public Library</strong>, which opened in 1913, was named in her honor. It is located at the corner of <strong>Platt Park</strong>, whose name honors her second husband. The <strong>University of Northern Colorado </strong>offers a Sarah Platt Decker Memorial Scholarship for female students interested in social justice. In 1990 Decker was inducted into the <strong>Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame</strong>.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Fri, 13 Mar 2020 20:18:42 +0000 yongli 3176 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org