Sara A. Underwood
Sara A. Underwood | |
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| Born | Sara A. Francis 21 July 1838 |
| Died | 16 March 1911 (aged 72) |
| Other names | Sara A. Francis Underwood |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, lecturer, editor |
| Organization | National Woman Suffrage Association of Massachusetts |
| Notable work | Heroines of Freethought (1876) |
| Movement | Freethought, suffrage |
| Spouse | Benjamin Franklin Underwood |
Sara A. Underwood (21 July 1838 – 16 March 1911)[1] was a prominent English-born American freethought lecturer and writer, and an active part of the movement for women's suffrage.[2]
Life[edit]
Sara A. Underwood was born Sara A. Francis in Penrith, Cumbria, moving with her family to Rhode Island while still a young child.[2] She married Benjamin Franklin Underwood on 6 September 1862, the partnership described as 'a union of kindred minds as well as hearts'.[2]
Both Underwoods became well-known figures in freethinking circles and on the lecture circuit over the course of following decades.[1] Towards the end of the 1880s, the couple moved to Chicago to serve as editor and manager (Benjamin) and associate editor (Sara)[3] of the journal The Open Court.[1] The Open Court was 'devoted to the work of establishing ethics and religion upon a scientific basis.'[3]
Work[edit]
As a lecturer, Sara A. Underwood became widely known 'for espousing liberal religious thought' for over three decades.[4] Between 1880 and 1886 she was a co-editor of the Boston Index, the organ of the Free Religious Association.[4] She was the editor of the Psychical Science Congress' journal, the Philosophic Journal 1893–95, and chair of the Congress of Evolutionists,[4] part of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.[5]
Underwood spoke and wrote in the cause of equal rights for women,[2] and was treasurer of the National Woman Suffrage Association of Massachusetts.[6][7]
Death[edit]
Sara A. Underwood died in a sanatorium in Jacksonville, Illinois in the early hours of 16 March 1911.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Andrick, John Michael (2016). A Modern Mecca of Psychic Forces: The Psychical Science Congress and the Culture of Progressive Occultism in Fin-de-Siècle Chicago, 1885-1900 (PDF) (PhD). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
- ^ a b c d e "Mrs. Underwood is Summoned". The Quincy Daily Journal. 16 March 1911.
- ^ a b "The Open Court: A Fortnightly Journal". The Open Court. 1 (2). 3 March 1887.
- ^ a b c Duniway, Abigail Scott (1897). "WOMAN IN JOURNALISM". "SHE FLIES WITH HER OWN WINGS": THE COLLECTED SPEECHES OF ABIGAIL SCOTT DUNIWAY.
- ^ Johnson, Rossiter (1898). A History of the World's Columbian Exposition Held in Chicago in 1893. D. Appleton.
- ^ Stanton, Elizabeth Cady; Anthony, Susan B.; Blatch, Harriot Stanton; Gage, Matilda (2017). The History of the Women's Suffrage: The Origin of the Movement (Illustrated Edition): Part I - Lives and Battles of Pioneer Suffragists (Including Letters, Articles, Conference Reports, Speeches, Court Transcripts & Decisions). Musaicum Books.
- ^ "Letter : Membership appeal from the National Woman Suffrage Association of Massachusetts, signed by the Standing Committee. [Circa 1882-1885]". Ann Lewis Suffrage Collection.
External links[edit]
- Heroines of Freethought (1876) at the Internet Archive
- Automatic or spirit writing, with other psychic experiences (1896) at the Internet Archive
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