The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of approximately 2,300 women's clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Community Service Projects (CSP) are organized by local clubs for the benefit of their communities or GFWC's Affiliate Organization (AO) partnerships. GFWC maintains nearly 60,000 members throughout the United States and internationally. GFWC is one of the world's largest and oldest nonpartisan, nondenominational, women's volunteer service organizations.Blair 1998 The GFWC headquarters is located in Washington, D.C.
History The GFWC was founded by Jane Cunningham Croly, a leading New York journalist. In 1868 she helped found the Sorosis club for professional women. It was the model for the nationwide GFWC in 1890.
In 1889, Croly organized a conference in New York that brought together delegates from 61 women's clubs. The women formed a permanent organization in 1890 with Charlotte Emerson Brown as its first president. In 1901 it was granted a charter by Congress. Dietz proclaimed, "We look for unity, but unity in diversity" and that became the GFWC motto. Southern white women played a central role in the early years.
Local women's clubs initially joined the General Federation directly but later came into membership through state federations that began forming in 1892. The GFWC also counts international clubs among its members.
In 1900, the GFWC met in Milwaukee, and Josephine Ruffin, a black journalist, tried to attend as a representative of three Boston organizations – the New Era Club, the New England Woman's Club and the New England Woman's Press Club. Southern women led by president Rebecca Douglas Lowe, a Georgia native, told Ruffin that she could be seated as an honorary representative of the two white clubs but would not seat a black club. She refused on principle and was excluded from the proceedings. These events became known as "The Ruffin Incident" and were widely covered in newspapers around the country, most of whom supported Ruffin.Mary Jane Smith, "The Fight to Protect Race and Regional Identity within the General Federation of Women's Clubs, 1895–1902." Georgia Historical Quarterly (2010): 479–513 in JSTOR"Race Discrimination", Congregationalist 85:24, 1900 June 14."Color-Line in Women's Clubs", Congregationalist 86:6, 1901 February 9
In a time when women's rights were limited, the state federation chapters held grassroots efforts to make sure the woman's voice was heard. Through monthly group meetings to annual charter meetings, women of influential status within their communities could have their feelings heard. They were able to meet with state officials in order to have a say in community events. Until the right to vote was granted, these women's clubs were the best outlet for women to be heard and taken seriously.
Women's clubs spread very rapidly after 1890, taking up some of the slack left by the decline of the WCTU and the temperance movement. Local clubs at first were mostly reading groups focused on literature, but increasingly became civic improvement organizations of middle-class women meeting in each other's homes weekly. The clubs avoided controversial issues that would divide the membership, especially religion and the prohibition issue. In the south and east, suffrage was also highly divisive, while there was little resistance to it among clubwomen in the west. In the midwest, clubwomen first avoided the suffrage issue out of caution, but after 1900 increasingly came to support it.Stephen M. Buechler, The Transformation of the Woman Suffrage Movement: The Case of Illinois, 1850–1920 (1986) pp 154–57
Representative activities Historian Paige Meltzer puts the GFWC in the context of the Progressive Movement, arguing that its policies:
Kansas was a representative state, as the women's clubs joined with local chapters of the WCTU and other organizations to deal with social issues. The clubs continued to feature discussions of current literature, culture, and civic events, but they also broadened to include public schools, local parks, sanitation, prostitution, and protection of children.June O. Underwood, "Civilizing Kansas: Women's Organizations, 1880–1920," Kansas History (1984) 7#4 pp 291–306.
Paula Watson has shown that across the country the clubs supported the local Carnegie public library, as well as traveling libraries for rural areas. They promoted state legislation to fund and support libraries, especially to form library extension programs. GFWC affiliates worked with the American Library Association, state library associations, and state library commissions and gave critical support to library education programs at the universities.Paula D. Watson, "Founding mothers: The contribution of women's organizations to public library development in the United States." Library Quarterly (1994) pp: 233–269 in JSTOR.
Many clubs were especially concerned with uplifting the neglected status of American Indians. They brought John Collier into the forefront of the debate when they appointed him the research agent for the Indian Welfare Committee in 1922. The GFWC took a leadership role in opposing assimilation policies, supporting the return of Indian lands, and promoting more religious and economic independence.Karin L. Huebner, "An Unexpected Alliance: Stella Atwood, the California Clubwomen, John Collier, and the Indians of the Southwest, 1917–1934," Pacific Historical Review (2009) 78#3 pp: 337–366 in JSTOR For example, southwestern clubs help support the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) and became advocates and consumers for authentic Native American arts and crafts.Jennifer McLerran, "Clubwomen, Curators and Traders," American Indian Art Magazine (2011) 36#4 pp 54–92 Even more important, in western states, GFWC affiliates cooperated with Collier when he served (1933–45) as the New Deal's Commissioner for Indian affairs in his campaign to reverse federal policies designed to assimilate Indians into the national culture.
In May 1925 Edith Brake West conducted a survey of county organizations which was recognized by the National Federation of Women's Clubs. For the first time in the history of federated clubs, the accomplishments and the organization of these bodies were set forth.
The membership reached 800,000 in 1955, and has declined to about 70,000 in the 21st century as middle-class women moved into the public mainstream. During the Cold War era, the GFWC promoted the theme that American women had a unique ability to preserve world peace while strengthening the nation internally through local, national, and international community activism.Meltzer, "The Pulse and Conscience of America" The General Federation and Women's Citizenship, 1945–1960," The remaining 70,000 members are older now, and have less influence in national affairs.Blair, 1998 The affiliated clubs in every state and more than a dozen countries work locally "to support the arts, preserve natural resources, advance education, promote healthy lifestyles, encourage civic involvement, and work toward world peace and understanding".From the GFWC Website
In 2009, GFWC members raised over $39 million on behalf of more than 110,000 projects, and volunteered more than 4.1 million hours in the communities where they live and work.
Notable clubwomen
Annette Abbott Adams, chairman of Legislation, California Federation of Women's Clubs Jane Addams (1860–1935) Effie Adelaide Payne Austin, State Trustee of the California Federation of Women's Clubs Edith Vosburgh Alvord (1875–1962) Helen Bagg, for several years served as chairman of Literature for Illinois Federation of Women's Clubs Mrs. L. Dow Balliett (1847–1929), helped select the organization's "little blue pin" Alice Barnett, Southern District chairman, California Federation of Women's Clubs, for Motion Pictures; local chairman of Motion Pictures; president of San Bernardino Women's Club Annie Little Barry, Served for many years as State Parliamentarian of the California Federation of Women's Clubs Mary Lathrop Benton, Federation of Women's Clubs Mariana Bertola, General Federation Director and President of the California Federation of Women's Clubs Edythe Mitchell Bissell, President, San Luis Obispo County Federation of Women's Clubs Fannie Jean Black, chairman of the Press Department of the California Federation of Women's clubs C. Louise Boehringer, Arizona Federation Harriet Bossnot, first vicepresident of the Montana Federation of Women's Clubs Leah Belle Kepner Boyce, Press Chairman of California Federation of Women's Clubs, Member Western Federation of Women's Clubs Esto Bates Broughton, State chairman of California Federation of Women's Clubs Clementine Cordelia Berry Buchwalter (1843–1912) Dorothea Dutcher Buck (1887–1986), president of the GFWC 1947–1950 Clara Bradley Burdette, First president of California Federation of Women's Clubs Nellie T. Bush, member of State Legislative Commission, Federation of Women's Clubs Mary Ryerson Butin, district chairman of Public Welfare, for California Federation of Women's Clubs Grace Richardson Butterfield, President, City and County Federation of Women's Clubs of San Francisco, State and District chairman of Junior membership, California Federation of Women's Clubs Vera McKenna Clayton, Santa Cruz Woman's Club Elizabeth Bender Roe Cloud (Ojibwe name: Equay Zaince) (1887 – 1965), Ojibwe from the White Earth Reservation, first Native American national chair of Indian Welfare Committee. R. Belle Colver, Woman's Club of Spokane Ione Virginia Hill Cowles (1858–1940), eighth president, GFWC; president, California Fed. Women's Clubs Inez Mabel Crawford, First president of Ottawa Federation of Women's Clubs Jane Cunningham Croly (1829–1901) Katherine Davis Cumberson, member of State Executive Board, California Fed. Women's Clubs, for 6 years chairman of its Committee of International Relations, founder and honorary president Lake County Fed. Women's Clubs Ellen Curtis Demorest (1824–1898) Nina F. Diefenbach, Ventura County Federation of Women's Clubs Dimies T. Stocking Denison, president of the General Federation of Women's Clubs in 1902, clubwoman and businesswoman Sophia Julia Coleman Douglas, founder and first president of the Federation of Women's Clubs for Oklahoma and Indian Territories (1898) Saidie Orr Dunbar, Oregon State and National Organization of Women's Clubs, elected President of the (National) General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) in 1938 Mary Elizabeth Downey (1872–1949) Freda Ehmann, Active in Women's Clubs affairs Augusta Louise Eraser, president, San Diego County Federation of Women's Clubs Oda Faulconer, State Chairman of American Citizenship of the California Federation of Women's Clubs Harrye R. P. Smith Forbes, For twelve years was State or District Chairman of California History and Landmarks Dept. for California Federation of Women's Clubs Abigail Keasey Frankel, President of the State Federation of Women's Clubs. She was member of the Board of the Missouri Federation of Women's Clubs and President of the 8th District of the Missouri Federation. She was the President of the Portland Woman's Club and the chairman of the finance of the Woman's Building association Lizzie Crozier French (1851–1926) Laura E. Frenger, organized the State (New Mexico) Federation of Women's Clubs Thora B. Gardiner, President of the Oregon City Women's Club Anna Boley Garner, served 6 years on State Board of Federation of Women's Clubs Mary E. Gartin, President of Stanislaus County Federation of Women's Clubs; for 3 years president of Modesto Woman's Club Mabel Barnett Gates, in 1915 Gates represented Ebell Club at the 14th annual California Federation of Women's Club in San Francisco Dale Pickett Gay, President of Wyoming Federation of Women's Clubs and she was active in all club work