Evening star., 1934-12-23
FEDERATION BEGUN
IN 1894 BY GROUP.
OF ACTIVE WOMEN
History Since Then Has
Been Linked With D. c.
Civic Progress.

Older citizens of the District have
watched the District of Columbia
Federation of Women's Clubs grow
during 40 years from mere idea
into one of the city's most powerful
civic organizations. H
Organized with a membership of
2 clubs, the federation has expanded
to its present total Of SO federated
units with $500 members
When in 1894 Mrs. L. A. Crandall,
vice president of the Women's Ma
tional Press Association, who was
presiding in the absence of the clubs
president, appointed Mrs. Hannah B.
Sperry and Mrs. E. S. Cromwell to
the group as delegates to
meeting of the General Federation
of Women's Clubs, organized in 1889,
she little realized she had laid the
foundation for the present organiza-
ton.
Organized in 1894.
Upon the return of the delegates
Mrs. Sperry moved that a federation
of women's clubs be formed in the
District. The motion met with ap-
proval and invitations were sent to
36 women's organizations in the city
to attend a mass meeting october
26, 1894, at the Willard Hotel. One
week later the constitution and by
laws were framed and the seven clubs
which responded were formed into a
permanent organization on December
8, 1894, with DR.. Ella S. Marble Tan
berg serving as the first president.
Les sthan year later the local group
was admitted to membership in the
General Federation of Women's Clubs.
School children, among others, may
thank the federation for many bene-
fits they have obtained through the
efforts of the D. c. F. w. c. Among
these are found a protest against
adding an additional hour to the
school day, aid in formation of
parent-teacher associations, work for
playground extension, an appeal to
Congress for a law to regulate and
restrain child labor, a drive for safer
and more sanitary school buildings
and the Endorsement of the study
of sex hygiene in the public schools.
The Dennison Vocational School,
Weightman School for Crippled Chill
den and the Health School for Tu-
berculosis Patients have all been the
recipients of aid throughout the his
tory Of the group.
Opposition to liquor brought about
o resolution against the licensing of
liquor places near the high schools, in
dorsement Of a plan to place every
safeguard around the sale of alcoholic
beverages in the District, and a IA
point plan for control of the manu-
facture and transportation of liquor.
The federation for many years has
urged national representation for the
Of the District of Columbia are justly
entitled to political equity-the grant,
ing of representation in both the Sen
ate and the House of Representa-
tives, the right to vote for President
and Vice President and the same
access to the courts of the United
States as possessed by the citizens Of
the States and even of aliens-as the
only real assurance of fair treatment
as regards taxation, Federal financial
participation in the District budget
and general legislation.
Past Work Recalled.
Work toward obtaining woman suf-
frage, conservation of forests, cleaner
streets and alleys, uniform weight for
bread, playground extension, perma-
nent Women's Police Bureau, extension
of the Public Library system and a
minimum salary of $1,000 for public
school teachers are few Of the meas
ures that have kept these women busy
down through the years.
The II past presidents who fought
for improvements in local, national,
and sometimes international affairs
are. Dy.. Ella S.. Marble Tanberg, 1894
'96; Mrs. Mary s. Lockwood, 1896 '98;
Mrs. Carrie e. Kent, 1898-1900; Mrs.
Nero l.. Tanner, 100000; Mrs. Han
nah B. Sperry, 1902-'04; Miss Frances
Graham French, 1904-'05; Mrs. Lucia
e. Blount, 1905-'06; Mrs. Charlotte E..
Maine, 19O6-'08; Mrs. Jesise Llewellyn
Engle, 1908-'09; Mrs. Kitty Rose Pep
per, 1909-11; Mrs. william E. An
drews, 1e11-'13; Mrs. Ellis Logan,
1el3-'15: Mrs. Court F. Wood, 1915
'l9; Mrs. Howard L. Hodgkins. 1919
'21: Mrs. John w. Frizzell, 1921-'24;
Mrs. Virginia White Speel, 1925-'23;
and Mrs. Edgar B. Merritt, 1928-'32.
The present administration, under
Mrs. Harvey W. Wiley, has accom-
plished much constructive work, 1,570
bedside bags, 375 miscellaneous gifts
and 1896 magazines having been dis
tributed by the federation to the ex-
service men at Walter Reed Hospital.
The Red Cross, Community Chest,
Warm Springs Foundation Fund, Chill
dren's Hospital, and others will vouch
for the generosity Of the organization.
Upward Of $4,000 garments have been
collected in two years by the Commu-
nifty Service Committee OF the group.
Federated Organizations.
The federated organizations in the
d. Q. Federation of Women's Clubs
include: Abraham Circle, No. 8
Ladies of the G. A. r.; Aid Associa-
ton for the Blind of the District,
Capitol Hill History Club, Glover
Club, Columbia Heights Art Club
D. c. Auxiliary to the Woman's Ma
tional Sabbath Alliance, Entire Nous
Club, Baby Lovers Circle Of the Flor
ence Crittenton Home. Excelsior Lit
erary Club, the only one of the orig
inal seven now in the federation;
Florence Crittenton Home Board,
Graduate Nurses Association of the
District, Housekeepers' Alliance, Ladies
of the Auxiliary of the District Fire
Department, Legion Of Loyal Women,
Marietta Park Women's Club, Mira
Mccoy Andrews Day Nursery, North
Beach Club, Park View Women's
Club, Petworth Woman's Club, Philo
Classics, Political Study Club, Rowac
Club, Rubinstein Club. Sunshine and
Community Club, Takoma Women's
Club, William H. Beck Circle, No. 4,
Ladies Of the G. A. r.; Takoma Park
Juniors, Women's Christian Temper
ance Union, Women's Auxiliary to the
Railway Mail Association, Woman's
City Club, Women's Single Tax Club
and the Woodbridge Book Club.
Present officers Of the federation
are: Mrs. Wiley, president; Mrs.
Lloyd w. Biddle, first vice president;
Mrs Henry Fenno Sawtelle second