The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far-reaching reform strategies based on applied Christianity." It plays an influential role in the temperance movement. Originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement, the organization supported the 18th Amendment and was also influential in social reform issues that came to prominence in the progressive era.
Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist. Willard became the national president of Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1879 and remained president until her death in 1898. Her influence continued in the next decades, as the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution were adopted. Willard developed the slogan "Do Everything" for the WCTU and encouraged members to engage in a broad array of social reforms by lobbying, petitioning, preaching, publishing, and education. During her lifetime, Willard succeeded in raising the age of consent in many states as well as passing labor reforms including the eight-hour work day. Her vision also encompassed prison reform, scientific temperance instruction, Christian socialism, and the global expansion of women's rights.
Mary Greenleaf Leavitt was an educator and successful orator who became the first round-the-world missionary for the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). Setting out on virtually non-stop worldwide tours over a decade, she "went to all continents save Antarctica," where she crusaded against alcohol and its evils including domestic violence; and advocated for women's suffrage and other equal rights such as higher education for women. In 1891 she became the honorary life president of the World's WCTU.
Annie Turner Wittenmyer was an American charitable organization leader, known for social reform, relief work, and her writing. She served as the first National President of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), seventh National President of the Woman's Relief Corps (WRC), and also served as president of the Non-Partisan National Woman's Christian Temperance Union. In 2007, Wittenmyer was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame.
Mary Mendenhall Hobbs, was an American Quaker advocate for women's education, temperance, and suffrage, based in North Carolina. Her campaigning to improve women's education supported the founding of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1891.
Mary Allen West was an American journalist, editor, educator, philanthropist, superintendent of schools, and temperance worker. A teacher in her early career, she served as superintendent of schools in Knox County, Illinois, being one of the first women to fill such a position in Illinois. An active supporter of the temperance movement, West served as president of the Illinois Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), and editor of the national paper, Union Signal. Her other roles within the WCTU included superintendent of the Training School for Temperance Workers, Illinois State Superintendent of Temperance in Schools of Higher Education, as well as Stockholder, Director, and Secretary of the Woman's Publication Association. She was the first president of the Illinois Woman's Press Association, a member of the Chicago Woman's Club, and director of the Protective Agency for Women and Children. West was the author of Childhood: Its Care and Culture (1887). She died in Japan, in 1892, while training temperance workers in organization and promotion reform efforts.
Emma A. Cranmer was an American temperance reformer, woman suffragist, and author. A talented suffrage speaker and prohibition representative, she served as president of the South Dakota Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and the South Dakota Equal Suffrage Association. Some of her epigrams were published by the press. Cranmer died in 1937.
Anna Augusta Truitt was an American philanthropist, temperance reformer, and essayist. For many years, she provided services for the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), acting as delegate from the local to the district, state and national conventions. Her essays, addresses and reports showed her to be a talented writer. Benevolence was said to be her one underlying character trait.
Ellen A. Dayton Blair was an American social reformer and art teacher.
Esther T. Housh was a 19th-century American social reformer, author, and newspaper editor. She was the President of the Vermont State Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). While serving as press superintendent of the National WCTU, she instituted the National Bulletin. She was the editor of The Woman's Magazine, as well as the author of many temperance leaflets, and poems.
Mary Jane Aldrich was an American temperance reformer, lecturer, and essayist of the long nineteenth century. She served as vice-president of the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and president of the Iowa union. At the time of the division in the ranks of the WCTU, Aldrich, with the Iowa union, adhered to the non-partisan temperance work, and became evangelistic secretary of the Non-Partisan National Woman's Christian Temperance Union. As a temperance worker, she was characterized as sanguine and practical. As a speaker, she was bright, forceful, entertaining and logical. She was the author of "Church and Sunday School Temperance Work" (1898).
Mary Coffin Johnson was an American temperance activist and writer. She was the publisher of the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union's (WCTU) first newspaper, The Union Signal. Johnson was acquainted with Abraham Lincoln, and was a friend of Henry Ward Beecher and his wife Eunice.
Ruth Hinshaw Spray was an American peace activist. Spray was prominent as a teacher in the public schools and work for the protection of children and animals. She was also active in the work of child labor organizations and in the international peace cause, Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), Retail Clerks' Association, and other associations for public welfare.
Alice A. W. Cadwallader was an American philanthropist and temperance activist. She served in Florida as state president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU).
Mary Osburn Adkinson was an American social reformer active in the temperance movement. She took a leading part in the organization of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Madison, Wisconsin, serving four times as its elected president. In Louisiana, she held the position of superintendent of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and matron in the New Orleans University.
Marion Howard Dunham was an American teacher, temperance activist, and suffragist. She entered upon the temperance field in 1877 with the inauguration of the red ribbon movement in her state of Iowa, but believing in more permanent effort, she was the prime agitator in the organization of the local Woman's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.). In 1883, she was elected state superintendent of the Department of Scientific Temperance and held the office for four years lecturing to institutes and general audiences on that subject most of the time. She procured the "Prohibitory law of the state of Iowa", in February 1886. When the Iowa State Temperance Union began to display its opposition to the national W.C.T.U., she came to be considered a leader on the side of the minority who adhered to the national and when the majority in the state union seceded from the national union October 16, 1890, she was elected president of those remaining auxiliary to that body. She spent a large part of her time in the field lecturing on temperance.
Drusilla Wilson was an American temperance leader and Quaker pastor. She was the second president of the Kansas Woman's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.).
Frances L. Swift (1837–1916) was American church and temperance leader. For eight years, she served as president of the Pennsylvania Woman's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.).
The Demorest Medal Contests were a system of public oratorical competitions, founded as a means of Prohibition propaganda by William Jennings Demorest in April 1886. It was his idea to make these contests promote directly the growth of Prohibition sentiment by enlisting the effort and winning the sympathy of boys, girls, young men, and young women. After Demorest's death, the Demorest medal system was merged with that of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), and Mrs. Demorest was placed in charge of the Medal Department. She, however, died a few months later, and Adelia E. Carman became head of the Medal Department, which position she held until 1922. Mrs. Carman was succeeded by her daughter, Maude Carman Cathcart.
Adelia E. Carman was an American educator. Serving as Superintendent of Medal Contest Work for the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), for 30 years, she directed the WCTU's state superintendents of Public Instruction in supporting instruction and contests in oratory or declamation in the areas of temperance, prohibition, narcotics, women's suffrage, purity, Christian citizenship, and many other topics. She also served as the World's WCTU superintendent of the department of Medal Contests.
