Genevieve B. Earle

Last updated
Genevieve B. Earle
Photo of Genevieve B. Earle.jpg
Born1883 (1883)
New York, New York
DiedMarch 7, 1956(1956-03-07) (aged 72–73)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materAdelphi University
Known forfirst woman elected to the New York City Council
Spouse(s)
William P. Earle, Jr.
(m. 1913;died in 1940)

Genevieve Beavers Earle (1883 - March 7, 1956) [1] was a New York City politician. She was the first woman elected to the city council of New York City and the first woman to be involved in a New York City Charter Revision Commission. She was also a feminist. [2]

New York City Largest city in the United States

The City of New York, usually called either New York City (NYC) or simply New York (NY), is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2018 population of 8,398,748 distributed over a land area of about 302.6 square miles (784 km2), New York is also the most densely populated major city in the United States. Located at the southern tip of the state of New York, the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass and one of the world's most populous megacities, with an estimated 19,979,477 people in its 2018 Metropolitan Statistical Area and 22,679,948 residents in its Combined Statistical Area. A global power city, New York City has been described as the cultural, financial, and media capital of the world, and exerts a significant impact upon commerce, entertainment, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, art, fashion, and sports. The city's fast pace has inspired the term New York minute. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy.

The Administrative Code of the City of New York contains the codified local laws of New York City. As of January 2018, it contains 35 titles, numbered 1 through 16, 16-A, 17 through 20, 20-A, 21, 21-A, and 22 through 32.

Feminism Movements and ideologies aimed at establishing gender equality

Feminism is a range of social movements, political movements, and ideologies that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that societies prioritize the male point of view, and that women are treated unfairly within those societies. Efforts to change that include fighting gender stereotypes and seeking to establish educational and professional opportunities for women that are equal to those for men.

Contents

Biography

Earle was born in Blythebourne in 1885 and attended Erasmus Hall High School. [3] Earle graduated from Adelphi University in 1907. [4] She had worked in the field of sociology while in school and showed interest in becoming involved in New York politics immediately after graduation. [3] She married William P. Earle, Jr. on October 22, 1913. [5] They had two children, Mary and William, Jr. [6] Earle's husband died in 1940 of an "abdominal ailment." [5] In 1948, she spent four months in the hospital when she broke her hip by slipping on the ice, and this may have influenced her decision to retire from council later. [2] In 1949, she retired from New York City politics and moved to Bell House in Bellport. [7]

Erasmus Hall High School United States historic place

Erasmus Hall High School was a four-year public high school located at 899-925 Flatbush Avenue between Church and Snyder Avenues in the Flatbush neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It was founded in 1786 as Erasmus Hall Academy, a private institution of higher learning named for the scholar Desiderius Erasmus, known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, a Dutch Renaissance humanist and Catholic Christian theologian. The school was the first secondary school chartered by the New York State Regents. The clapboard-sided, Georgian-Federal-style building, constructed on land donated by the Flatbush Reformed Dutch Church, was turned over to the public school system in 1896.

Adelphi University university in Garden City, New York

Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. It is the oldest institution of higher education in suburban Long Island. It currently has a population of 8,146 students

Sociology Scientific study of human society and its origins, development, organizations, and institutions

Sociology is the study of society, patterns of social relationships, social interaction and culture of everyday life. It is a social science that uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about social order, acceptance, and change or social evolution. Sociology is also defined as the general science of society. While some sociologists conduct research that may be applied directly to social policy and welfare, others focus primarily on refining the theoretical understanding of social processes. Subject matter ranges from the micro-sociology level of individual agency and interaction to the macro level of systems and the social structure.

She died in her home in a fire that may have been "caused by a dropped cigarette in her bedroom." [8]

Cigarette Small roll of cut tobacco designed to be smoked

A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing psychoactive material, usually tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. Most cigarettes contain a "reconstituted tobacco" product known as "sheet", which consists of "recycled [tobacco] stems, stalks, scraps, collected dust, and floor sweepings", to which are added glue, chemicals and fillers; the product is then sprayed with nicotine that was extracted from the tobacco scraps, and shaped into curls. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opposite end. Most modern cigarettes are filtered, although this does not make them safer. Cigarette manufacturers have described cigarettes as a drug administration system for the delivery of nicotine in acceptable and attractive form. Cigarettes are addictive and cause cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, and other health problems.

Career

Earle began working in politics in 1907. [3] She started doing municipal research in 1908 and was one of the first women in this field. [7] As a direct result of her early studies, salaries for police patrolmen were increased in New York. [7] She chaired a woman's committee for the election of John Purroy Mitchel in 1917. [3] Also in 1917, she was appointed to the board of Child Welfare. [3] Earle was president of the Brooklyn chapter of the League of Women Voters. [9]

Patrol the operational independent, professionally watching and patrolling of an assigned scope by security forces

A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as law enforcement officers, military personnel, or private security contractors that are assigned to monitor a specific geographic area.

John Purroy Mitchel American mayor

John Purroy Mitchel was the 95th mayor of New York from 1914 to 1917. At age 34 he was the second-youngest ever; he is sometimes referred to as "The Boy Mayor of New York." Mayor Mitchel is remembered for his short career as leader of Reform politics in New York as well as for his early death as a US Army Air Service officer in the last months of World War I. Mitchel's staunchly Catholic New York family had been founded by his paternal grandfather and namesake John Mitchel, an Ulster Presbyterian Young Irelander who became a renowned writer and leader in the Irish independence movement, as well as a staunch supporter of the Confederate States of America.

Brooklyn Borough in New York City and county in New York state, United States

Brooklyn is a borough of New York City, coterminous with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York, the most populous county in the state, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States. It is New York City's most populous borough, with an estimated 2,504,700 residents in 2010. Named after the Dutch village of Breukelen, it borders the borough of Queens at the western end of Long Island. Brooklyn has several bridge and tunnel connections to the borough of Manhattan across the East River, and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge connects it with Staten Island.

Earle served as the first woman on a New York City Charter Revision Commission during 1935 to 1936. [10] [11] The charter created by the commission was adopted in 1936 and initiated the use of proportional representation in the city’s elections. [12] She was awarded a gold medal of service to Brooklyn, partly because of her work on the commission, which was presented by Mayor La Guardia in 1936. [13]

Proportional representation (PR) characterizes electoral systems in which divisions in an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. If n% of the electorate support a particular political party as their favorite, then roughly n% of seats will be won by that party. The essence of such systems is that all votes contribute to the result—not just a plurality, or a bare majority. The most prevalent forms of proportional representation all require the use of multiple-member voting districts, as it is not possible to fill a single seat in a proportional manner. In fact, the implementations of PR that achieve the highest levels of proportionality tend to include districts with large numbers of seats.

Fiorello H. La Guardia American politician

Fiorello Henry La Guardia was an American politician. He is best known for being the 99th Mayor of New York City for three terms from 1934 to 1945 as a Republican. Previously he had been elected to Congress in 1916 and 1918, and again from 1922 through 1930. Irascible, energetic, and charismatic, he craved publicity and is acclaimed as one of the greatest mayors in American history. Only five feet, two inches tall, he was called "the Little Flower".

Earle was the first woman elected to the New York City Council in 1937, [14] and she was the only woman to serve as a council member in the city for some time. [15] She was one of a pool of 99 candidates for council, out of which 9 were voted in. [16] Earle ran as a member of the City Fusion Party, [17] and also had the support of many African American voters in Brooklyn. [18] Earle also appointed a black woman, Emily V. Gibbes, to a job in the city as a secretary. [18] She served in council from 1938 to 1949. [10] Between 1940 and 1949, she was the council's Republican Minority Leader. [4] While on the council, she promoted the creation of recreational centers and playgrounds in the city. [19] In 1953, she was appointed to a five-year term on Suffolk County's Planning Board. [2]

New York City Council city council; lawmaking body of the City of New York, USA

The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs.

Fusion Party is a name for multiple political parties in United States history. The different parties that used the name don't share any particular political positions; instead, confederations of people from disparate political backgrounds united around a common cause individual to their situation—often opposition to a common enemy—and used the name Fusion Party to reflect the aggregate nature of their new party.

African Americans are an ethnic group of Americans with total or partial ancestry from any of the black racial groups of Africa. The term typically refers to descendants of enslaved black people who are from the United States.

Earle was also involved with libraries. In 1934, Mayor La Guardia appointed her to the board of trustees for the Brooklyn Public Library. [3] Earle worked closely with Municipal Reference Librarian, Rebecca Browning Rankin, who helped her with research related to council work. [20] Earle was a vice president of the board of the Bellport Memorial Library. [7] She started an archives collection at Bellport Memorial Library. [21]

Adelphi University honored Earle with an Honorary Doctorate of Laws in 1942. [4] In 1962, Adelphi named a girls' dormitory "Earle Hall," in her honor. [7] Another honor was her election as an "honorary life member" of the Women's City Club of New York in 1951. [7]

Related Research Articles

William ODwyer United States general

William O'Dwyer was an Irish-American politician and diplomat who served as the 100th Mayor of New York City, holding that office from 1946 to 1950.

Jacqueline Loughery is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 1952, becoming the first-ever winner of the Miss USA competition. She had previously been crowned Miss New York USA 1952

Aline MacMahon American actress

Aline Laveen MacMahon was an American actress. Her career began on stage in 1921. She worked extensively in film and television until her retirement in 1975. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Dragon Seed (1944).

Blanche Friderici American actress

Blanche L. Friderici was an American film and stage actress, sometimes credited as Blanche Frederici.

Williamsburg Bridge Plaza Bus Terminal

The Williamsburg Bridge Plaza, sometimes called Washington Plaza or the Williamsburg Bridge Transit Center, is a major bus terminal and former trolley terminal located at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, one block west of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (I-278). It is situated by the boundaries of Broadway, Havemeyer Street, Roebling Street and South 5th Street, south of the LaGuardia Playground. It contains six bus lanes and serves as a terminal for the many MTA New York City Transit Authority bus routes of Brooklyn and Queens that start and end their runs there.

Marion Cothren American activist, lawyer, author

Marion Benedict Cothren (1880–1949) was an American suffrage and peace activist, lawyer, and children's author.

Ann Allebach

Ann Jemima Allebach was an American minister, educator and suffragette. She was the first woman ordained as a Mennonite minister in North America, on January 15, 1911. There was not another Mennonite woman ordained until 1973.

Adele Lewing German pianist and composer

Adele Lewing was a German pianist and composer.

Margaret Fernie Eaton (1871-1953) was an artist, born in England and schooled and worked as an artist in the United States. She created watercolor paintings in her early career, and is best known for her pyrographic works illustrations. She collaborated with her husband, fellow artist Hugh M. Eaton on book-plates and other works of art.

Florence Spencer Duryea

Florence Spencer Duryea was an American philanthropist and clubwoman, national secretary of Women's Organizations for Near East Relief, based in New York City.

Ami Mali Hicks American artist, suffragist and writer

Ami Mali Hicks (1867–1954) was an American feminist, writer, and organizer. She wrote books on art instruction and criticism. Hicks was a longtime administrator for Free Acres, an independent, collectivized community in New Jersey. She worked with the Women’s Political Union and was a member of Heterodoxy, two radical organizations that challenged some of the more placid activism of women’s movements and suffragists.

Rose Rosenberg English political activist

Rose Rosenberg, CBE was a Jewish English woman who served as the private secretary for statesman Ramsay MacDonald from 1923 to 1935. Prior to her employment with MacDonald, she worked in the National Council for Civil Liberties with those opposed to conscription and was the personal assistant of suffragette, Margaret Mackworth, 2nd Viscountess Rhondda. She was known for her ability to keep secrets, monitoring those who wished to engage with MacDonald, and earned the nickname "Miss Rose of No. 10" from the international press. She was honored as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1930. In later life, she worked for the British publicity office of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and in various positions during World War II providing assistance.

New York State Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage

The New York State Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage (NYSAOWS) was an American anti-suffrage organization in New York. The group was made up of prominent women who fought against the cause of women's suffrage by giving speeches, handing out materials and pamphlets and also publishing a journal. There were several auxiliaries of the group throughout New York and it was considered one of the most active anti-suffrage groups in the state.

Bettina Borrmann Wells German born US/UK suffragette

Bettina Borrmann Wells was a Bavarian-born English suffragette who toured the United States as an organizer and lecturer.

Alice W. Wiley Seay was an American social worker and founder of the Empire State Federation of Women's Clubs. She was also involved in charity work through the Dorcas Society and women's clubs. She held leadership roles in many of these organizations.

Irene Moorman Blackstone African-American businesswoman, clubwoman and suffragette

Irene Moorman Blackstone was an African-American businesswoman and club member who became active in the fight for women's suffrage. Along with Alva Belmont, she initiated the interracial cooperation of women in the drive for enfranchisement. When the 19th Amendment passed, she turned her activism toward the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and other programs which worked to uplift the black community and prevent the exclusion of and discrimination against blacks in attaining socio-economic and political equality.

Emma S. Ransom

Emma S. Connor Ransom was an African-American educator and clubwoman, active in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) and the YWCA.

Adelaide Wallerstein

Adelaide Dorn WallersteinMcConnell was an American translator, medical doctor, lawyer, and clubwoman, based in New York City.

1939 New York City Council election

An election was held on November 7, 1939 for the members of the New York City Council. Although the results of the election weren't in by the next day, The Brooklyn Citizen was willing to predict that all the candidates endorsed by Judge Samuel Seabury and Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia were defeated as they had been in the other municipal contests that day, due in large part to the domestic popularity of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The reduced turnout compared to 1937 threatened to wipe out at least 9 of the Council's then-26 seats, given that 75,000 votes were required for each seat.

Caroline Fraser Manice American golfer

Caroline Fraser Manice was an American golfer.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "Brooklyn Heights Promenade". NYC Parks. 4 April 1999. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Genevieve Earle Appointed Member of Planning Council". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 9 June 1953. Retrieved 10 April 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Medal is Voted Mrs. Earle for Civic Services (Continued from Page 1)". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 8 January 1937. Retrieved 8 April 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 "Building Honorees". Adelphi University. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  5. 1 2 "William P. Earle, 57, Dies: Council Leader's Husband". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 8 July 1940. Retrieved 6 April 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Pilat, Oliver (1943). "The Lady Who Tells Them Off" (PDF). unknown. Retrieved 10 April 2017– via La Guardia and Wagner Archives.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Adelphi to Honor the Late Mrs. Genevieve B. Earle". The Long Island Advance. 8 November 1962. Retrieved 10 April 2017– via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  8. ↑ "Victim of Fire". The Post-Standard. 7 March 1956. Retrieved 10 April 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Prosterman, Daniel O (2013). Defining Democracy: Electoral Reform and the Struggle for Power in New York City. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 51. ISBN   9780195377736.
  10. 1 2 Bruzzese, Christina (March 2011). "Spotlight on: Women's History Month". NYC.gov. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  11. ↑ "Mrs. Earle Honored for Civic Services". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 8 January 1937. Retrieved 8 April 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Perry 1990, p. 425.
  13. ↑ "Women Praised in Civic Affairs" (PDF). New York Times. 28 January 1937. Retrieved 10 April 2017– via La Guardia and Wagner Archives.
  14. ↑ "The Job of Citizenship". This I Believe. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  15. ↑ Evans, Clifford (17 June 1939). "Ears to the Ground". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Retrieved 8 April 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Ewing, Helen M. (9 February 1950). "Ex-Councilwoman Talks to Fireplace Literary Club". The Patchogue Advance. Retrieved 10 April 2017– via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  17. ↑ "City's Leaders Back Mrs. Earle". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 19 September 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  18. 1 2 Duckett, Alfred A. (8 June 1940). "Uncensored". The New York Age. Retrieved 6 April 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Playgrounds, Not Uniforms, for Children, The Democratic Way, Mrs. Earle Declares". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Retrieved 6 April 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Seaver, Barry W. (2004). A True Politician: Rebecca Browning Rankin, Municipal Reference Librarian of the City of New York, 1920-1952. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 166. ISBN   0786416343.
  21. ↑ "Display Cases at Library Dedicated to Memory of Late Mrs. Earle". Patchogue Advance. 5 September 1957. Retrieved 10 April 2017– via NYS Historic Newspapers.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.