Lillie Devereux Blake
Lillie Devereux Blake was a prominent 19th-century American writer and activist born in 1833 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and raised in New Haven, Connecticut. Initially celebrated for her beauty in high society, she married a lawyer, but after his tragic suicide in 1859, Blake turned to writing to support herself. She published numerous works, including stories serialized in the New York Mercury and the novel "Southwold."
In 1866, she remarried and soon became deeply involved in the women's rights movement, advocating for women's suffrage, professional representation, and social welfare issues. Over a thirty-five-year span, Blake emerged as a notable lecturer and author, writing "Woman's Place To-Day" in 1883 as a counter to prevailing sexist ideologies. Although she initially worked alongside Susan B. Anthony within the National American Woman Suffrage Association, ideological differences led her to establish the National Legislative League. Sadly, her activism was curtailed by illness, resulting in her departure from the organization. Blake's legacy reflects her passionate commitment to advancing women's rights during a pivotal era in American history.
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Lillie Devereux Blake
- Born: August 12, 1833
- Birthplace: Raleigh, North Carolina
- Died: December 30, 1913
- Place of death: Englewood, New Jersey
Biography
Lillie Devereux Blake was born in 1833 in Raleigh, North Carolina. She came of age in New Haven, Connecticut, where she was a beauty of high society. At the age of twenty-two she married a lawyer who worked in both St. Louis and New York. During her marriage, Blake sold stories, poems, and a novel, Southwold. Her husband committed suicide in 1859, leaving the widowed Blake to support herself.
During the seven years after her husband’s death, Blake produced numerous articles, stories, and novels, including some stories serialized in the New York Mercury. She remarried in 1866. Within a few years she began to take interest in issues of women’s rights. What followed were thirty-five years of activism on behalf of the women’s rights movement, with Blake supporting women’s right to vote, to be represented in a wide range of professions, and to attain guardianships, pensions, and other vital needs. She become a popular lecturer on behalf of women’s rights in New York and other places. Blake wrote Woman’s Place To-Day in 1883 as a response to a popular Christian clergyman’s published views.
Blake was attractive, energetic, and ambitious. She clashed with another woman’s rights activist, Susan B. Anthony, and with Anthony’s followers. These disagreements led Blake to leave Anthony’s organization, the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and establish the National Legislative League. A few years after founding the league, Blake became ill and was quit her job with the organization.