Alice Stone Blackwell
Alice Stone Blackwell was a prominent journalist and women's suffrage advocate in the 19th and early 20th centuries, born in Orange, New Jersey, to notable figures in the women's rights movement. Her mother, Lucy Stone, was Massachusetts' first female college graduate, and her aunt, Elizabeth Blackwell, was the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. Blackwell graduated with honors from Boston University in 1881 and joined the editorial staff of the Woman's Journal, the official publication of the American Woman Suffrage Association, which her mother co-founded. In 1880, she played a significant role in reconciling two factions of the suffrage movement led by her mother and Susan B. Anthony. Following her mother's death in 1893, Blackwell became editor in chief of the Woman's Journal and published various suffrage newsletters. Her activism later extended to supporting oppressed groups, including Russian and Armenian Americans, and she was involved with organizations like the NAACP and the American Peace Society. Blackwell also contributed to literature by translating works from various cultures, notably publishing collections of Armenian and Russian poetry. In her later years, she published a biography of her mother, reflecting her commitment to human rights and equality until her death in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1950.
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Subject Terms
Alice Stone Blackwell
Feminist
- Born: September 14, 1857
- Birthplace: Orange, New Jersey
- Died: March 15, 1950
- Place of death: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Biography
Alice Stone Blackwell, a nineteenth century journalist and woman’s suffrage writer, was born in Orange, New Jersey, to Henry B. Blackwell and Lucy Stone. Her family moved to Boston, Massachusetts, when she was three. Blackwell’s childhood was dominated by the woman’s rights movement. Her mother, Lucy Stone, was the first woman in Massachusetts to earn a college degree. Her aunt, Elizabeth Blackwell, was the first woman in the United States to graduate from medical school. Following in her family’s footsteps, Blackwell graduated with honors from Boston University in 1881. Immediately after graduation, she joined the editorial staff of Woman’s Journal, the official publication of the American Woman Suffrage Association, a woman’s rights organization founded by her mother.
In 1880, Blackwell led a movement to reconcile the two competing wings of the woman’s suffrage movement: Lucy Stone’s American Woman Suffrage Association, and Susan B. Anthony’s National Woman Suffrage Association. When her mother died in 1893, Blackwell took over her position as editor in chief of Woman’s Journal. Blackwell also edited and distributed Woman’s Column, a collection of suffrage newsletters syndicated in newspapers throughout the United States.
At the turn of the century, Blackwell became interested in the plights of various oppressed peoples, especially Russian Americans and Armenian Americans. She operated an informal employment service for needy Armenians for many years. She also affiliated herself with several organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the American Peace Society.
In an effort to increase awareness of oppressed peoples, Blackwell began translating the poetry and literature of Armenians, Russians, and other cultures. The most notable of these translations were Armenian Poems (1896), and Songs of Russia (1906). In 1930, Blackwell published a biography of her mother’s life titled Lucy Stone: Pioneer of Woman’s Rights. Blackwell lived the later years of her life striving to fulfill her mother’s last words: “Make the world a better place.” Blackwell worked to accomplish this through her tireless advocacy for human rights and equality. She died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on March 15, 1950.