The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-11-27
MRS. BOISSEvAIN,
NOTED SUFFRAGE
LEADER, is DEAD
Passes Away In Los Angeles
After Illness Of Ten
Weeks.

Los Angeles, Cal, Nov. 27-Mrs.
1nez Milholland Boissevain Of New
York, widely known as a welfare
worker and suffragist, died in a hos
pital here shortly before midnight
Saturday night Her husband, Eugene
Boisseyain: her parents, Mr.. and Mrs.
John E. Milholland, and her sister,
Miss Vida Eilholland, were at her bed
side when the end came.
Miss Vida MiIholland had twice
given blood for tranfusion into her
sisters body and on four other occa-
sions friends had submitted to the
ordeal, but in each case a relapse fol-
lowed temporary improvement. A
sinking spell set in late in the after
noon.
Arrangements were completed to-
day to send the body of Mrs Bo1sse-
vain to her home in New York to-
night for. burial. No funeral services
will be held there, it was announced.
Many messages Of sympathy were re-
ceiyed today by members Of the fam
lily from friends and prominent work.
ers In the woman suffrage cause.
Mrs. Inez NJ. Botssevain was 80
years old, having been born here on
Aug. 6, 1886. Perhaps there never was
Z a girl who did so many things, at
tracted SO much attention, was ac-
corded so much space in the news
papers in the brief space of eight
years as she. It was in 1908 that she
was graduated from Vassar College,
yet since that time her activities in
the suffrage movement, in labor re-
form, in peace work, in the defence OF
criminals she considered unjustly ac-
cused, in all kinds of radical and hui
nanitaTian work made her one Of the
Best known women in America.
For that matter she. showed her ten
denotes very markedly while still in
iVassar. Her suffrage meetings on the
campus and her Socialist. propaganda
work kept President Taylor on the
rack, for he never knew when she
was going to, break out Her beauty
and her frank, friendly manner made
her ver.r popular with the other stu
dents. and Inez Mi1ho1land was pretty
SIRE to have a following in whatever
she did.
Befr1ended Poor Children
Aside from her suffrage and social
istic activities, she had herself ap-
pointed probation officer OF Pough-
keepsie while still an undergraduate
and did a great deal of good work
among the poor children Of the city.
She also made a name for herself as
an athlete, for she was captain Of her
class hockey team, which won the col
1ege championship and was on the
1909 track team. 1t was while on this
team that she set a new record for
putting the eight pound shot, with a
mark Of 81 feet sM inches
The socialist convictions were a sur
prize to her friends, for she was the
daughter Of a weH-to-do man, John e
Mi1holland of New York. She was one
OF two children Vida, her sister, is a
few years younger, and Less active in
reform work. Her chief interest is
singing. :6a .
The very year after her graduation
1nez was arrested while. picketing
with some girl shirtwaist strikers.
Perhaps it was her desire to know just
how far she could go in such under
! takfngs that decided her to study law.
She tried in vain to enter the Har-
ward law school and finally took a
course In the New York Law School
Began Practice Of Law.
She began the practice of law i'm
1neiate1y upon receiving her degree in
1912 as a clerk in the Office Of James
w. Osborne. Her first case was the
defense of Fed Phil Davidson, charg-
sd with the murder Of the gangster
Big Jack Zelig. Later she took the
case Of Gee Doy Yung. On trial for a
killing in one of ChinatoMn's tong
wars, and succeeded in obtaining his
AcquittaL
Between times she went over to
England and gave active help to Mrs.
Ena1neline Pankhurst. the militant
Sunragist. In this country she allied
herself with Mrs. Harriet Stanton
Blatchs League for Supporting
Women. and was one Of the hardest
workers in the Women's Political
Union. which grew out Of that Or
ganization. No suffrage parade was
complete without Inez MiIhoIland,
for with her tall figure and free step,
her rich brown hair. blue eyes, fair
skin and we'll cut features, she was
an ideal figure of the typical Ameri-
can woman.
Marries Young HoI1ander
Her name was often mentioned in
connection with this Or that New York
bachelor, but she gave the impression
OF caring much more for her work
than for marriage, and it was a sur
prise when, in 1913, word came from
England that she had married, in
london, young Hollander, named
EHgen Boissevain. It was a surprise
even to her parents, but in a few
weeks the couple arrived in America
and the only drawback to the brides
happiness was the tact that by mar
rying an alien she had lost her citi-
zenship, and consequently her vote
when women should get the ballot
However, her husband promptly took
steps to be naturalized.
Marriage didn't prevent Mrs
Boissevain from keeping very active
ia her various interests. She praetic.
ed her profession of law, having ar
office still with Mr.. Osborne, She
worked constantly with Mrs. 0. FL. P
Belmont for suffrage. About this
time she made her famous assertion
that housekeeping only took ten min
utes of her day."
Went ON Ford Peace Voyage
Mrs. Boissevain was an ardent paci
fist, and sailed with Henry Ford or