Clara MacNaughton

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Clara W. MacNaughton (February 28, 1854 – July 31, 1948) was an American dentist and suffragist.[1]

Career[edit]

Clara MacNaughton studied dentistry at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and graduated with her DDS in 1885.[2] She practiced dentistry in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and in 1889, she was named Vice President of the Michigan State Dental Association, becoming the first woman to serve in that role.[3] In 1889, MacNaughton was a delegate to the International Dental Congress, held in Paris, France.[1] She moved to Washington, DC, in 1890 and practiced dentistry there, advertising "special attention given to ladies and children."[4] In 1893, MacNaughton served on the Woman’s Advisory Council of the World’s Columbian Dental Congress in Chicago.[5]

Suffrage[edit]

MacNaughton also was a champion of woman suffrage, joining with others in a variety of organizations devoted to that cause. She contributed to the incorporation of the District Woman’s Suffrage Association in Washington, D.C.,[6] and in 1900, was elected President of that Association.[7] The DWSA focused on raising the issue of woman suffrage in various venues and petitioning Congress for voting rights.[8] MacNaughton was also active in the Federal Suffrage Association and in 1913, as Treasurer of the FSA, MacNaughton helped to raise money, circulate petitions, and generate interested in the cause of suffrage for women.[9] MacNaughton also served as Vice President of the Federal Women’s Equality Association[10] and she was a member of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.[11] In these organizations, she worked closely and corresponded with other career women and suffragists of the time, including Clara Bewick Colby, Olympia Brown, and Belva Ann Lockwood.[12][13]

Personal life[edit]

Clara MacNaughton, whose name was sometimes spelled McNaughton, was born Clarenda Eveline Rosalia Walworth in 1854 in Akron N.Y. to William Walworth and Ruth Brooks.[14] She married William Henry McNaughton in 1873, but her husband died shortly afterwards in 1876.[15] Being widowed at a young age made MacNaughton aware of the importance of women's equality.[7] She had one daughter, Marie MacNaughton Davis. Clara MacNaughton died in Oakland, California on July 31, 1948.[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Clara W. MacNaughton". Sindecuse Museum. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  2. ^ Watt, George, ed. (1885). Ohio State Journal of Dental Science. Toledo: Ransom & Randolph. p. 451 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ Warner, Robert Mark (1964). Profile of a Profession: A History of the Michigan State Dental Association. Detroit: Wayne State University Press – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ "Dr. Clara W. McNaughton, Dentist". Evening Star (Classified ad). Washington, D.C. December 11, 1895. p. 3. ISSN 2331-9968. Retrieved November 9, 2022 – via Library of Congress.
  5. ^ Harlan, A. W.; Ottofy, Louis, eds. (1894). Transactions of the World's Columbian Dental Congress, Chicago, August 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19, 1893. Chicago: Press of Knight, Leonard & Co.
  6. ^ Cady Stanton, Elizabeth; Husted Harper, Ida, eds. (1889). "33". History of Woman Suffrage. Vol. 4. Susan B. Anthony – via Wikisource.
  7. ^ a b "State Correspondence. District of Columbia". Woman's Journal. May 19, 1900. p. 160 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ^ Congressional Record April 18, 1904-April 28, 1904: Vol 38 Appendix. Superintendent of Government Documents. April 18, 1904 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ Brown, Olympia (1917). Democratic Ideals: A Memorial Sketch of Clara B. Colby. Federal Suffrage Association – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Stanton, Elizabeth Cady (1922). History of Woman Suffrage: 1900-1920. Fowler & Wells – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Proceedings of the Thirty-second Annual Convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, Held at the Church of Our Father ... Washington, D.C., February 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 14, 1900. National American Woman Suffrage Association Convention. 1900 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Weatherford, Doris (January 20, 2012). Women in American Politics: History and Milestones. SAGE. ISBN 978-1-60871-007-2 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Norgren, Jill (2008). Belva Lockwood: The Woman Who Would Be President. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-5851-9 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ A Historical, Biographical and Statistical Souvenir of the Howard University Medical Department. Beresford. 1900. p. 253 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ "Mrs. MacNaughton to be buried today; former suffragette". Evening Star. August 3, 1948. pp. A2 – via Library of Congress.
  16. ^ "Clara MacNaughton". San Francisco Chronicle. August 3, 1948. p. 15.