This page is a stub.
You can help improve it.
Judith was an attorney, philanthropist,
civic leader and activist in the Suffrage movement.
Judith Hyams Douglas was born on February 14, 1875, in New Orleans, LA,
and died on June 24, 1955, at the age of 80. Daughter of attorney Henry
Michael Hyams and Augusta Louise Montgomery Hyams, she was educated in
the city school system and attended Tulane Law School to recover
property she believed was hers, winning her case and setting a precedent
for land ownership laws.
In 1896, she married Rordan (or Royden)
Douglas, six years her senior. By 1920, they were living in a
boardinghouse in New Orleans without children, with Rordan working as an
electrical contractor.
Judith's notable activities included
founding Le Petit Salon and the Stuart Clan, drafting the Orleans Club
charter, leading the Children's Bureau, and advocating for peace during
World War I. In 1911, she became President of the Era Club, a women's
organization focusing on charitable fundraising, child labor regulation,
public service improvements, and women's rights. The Era Club was
pivotal in Louisiana's suffrage movement, with Judith also serving as
corresponding secretary of the State Suffrage Association from 1908 to
1913.
Judith defied societal norms, famously dining alone in a
New Orleans restaurant despite being initially refused service,
ultimately gaining royal treatment in subsequent visits. A dedicated
Bible reader, she used scripture to champion women's rights, delivering
powerful speeches at events like the 1908 Women's Suffrage Convention.
Her legacy includes her contributions to women's suffrage, her role
in improving public services, and her intellectual prowess. Judith Hyams
Douglas's life exemplified a blend of legal acumen, social activism, and
a fearless challenge to gender norms. She passed away in her home in
Berkeley on December 9, 1965.
Contributions
Do you have an ancestor whose
story should be told here? Please let us have the details.
|
