Abbie Howard Hunt Stuart

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Abbie Howard Hunt Stuart
Photo of Abbie Howard Hunt Stuart.jpg
Abbie Howard Hunt (later Stuart),
Washington State Historical Society
Born
Abbie Howard Hunt

(1840-10-28)October 28, 1840
Boston, Massachusetts, US
DiedJanuary 5, 1902(1902-01-05) (aged 61)
San Francisco, California, US
OccupationClub Woman
Spouse(s)Robert Giffin Stuart

Abbie Howard Hunt Stuart (1840–1902) was an American suffragist and founder of the Woman's Club of Olympia.

Biography[]

Stuart née Hunt was born on October 28, 1840, in Boston, Massachusetts.[1] She was a college graduate and married Robert Giffin Stuart (1825–1891) a Federal Land Commissioner in Olympia Washington Territory.[2]

Robert and Abbie owned a commercial building which housed retail stores including a grocery story and later on a Crombie's Drug Store. The commercial retail stores were in the ground floor while on the second floor it had studios and offices for the Women's Club before they had an official building. It was located at 550 Capitol Way S.[3]

Stuart was a co-founder and the first president of the Woman's Club of Olympia. Stewart was also president of the Women's Suffrage Association in Olympia.[4]

Woman's Club of Olympia[]

Main article: Woman's Club of Olympia

The club was founded on March 10, 1883, by Abbie Howard Hunt Stuart, Emily Olney French, Mary Olney Brown, Clara Sylvester, Ella Stork, and Janet Moore.[5] Abbie donated land in which they established there permeant meetings in this building. The motto for this club was the "for study and mutual improvement of its members" .[6]

Olympia was known for its progressive ideology throughout the west.[7] Abbie was a cofounder of the club but didn't want to use the club as a form to expression of her pro suffrage beliefs. Instead she wanted this club to unite every women to talk about literature and non-controversial topics. The first meeting was held at the new Stuart Block building until they purchased an official one. The club rose funds, to move to the current building that was finished in 1908 by the Timberland Library.[8]

Unfortunately, Abbie died before the building was finished. In her honor, they named the building after her due to her being a cofounder of the Woman's Club of Olympia. Also, to mention how she didn't live when the suffrage movement was enacted.

The Woman's Club of Olympia partnered with the General Federation of Women's Clubs to focus on issues of:[9]

  • Conservation movement for first forest preserve
  • National model for juvenile courts
  • Pure Food and Drug Act
  • Eight Hour Work Week/ Child Labor Laws
  • Equal Rights for Women
  • Equal Pay for Equal work
  • Alcohol/ Drug Abuse Education for Women and Youth
  • Youth Suicide Prevention

Death and legacy[]

Grave stone Abbie Howard Hunt Stuart.jpg

She died January 5, 1902 in San Francisco, California.

The Woman's Club of Olympia named its clubhouse in her honor, which is known as the Abigail Stuart House.[2] The Abigail Stuart house is a non-profit, nondenominational, and nonpartisan volunteer service organization.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ "Abbie Howard Hunt Stuart. Stuart nee Hunt was born on October 28, 1840 in Boston, Massachusetts. She was a college graduate. She married Robert Giffin Stuart 18". ww.en.freejournal.org. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  2. ^ a b "Woman's Club of Olympia". Washington State Historical Society. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Stuart Block/Miller Department Store | Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum". olympiahistory.org. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  4. ^ J.H. Vanderveer (July 1981). "Community Cultural Resource Survey: Olympia Public Library / Carnegie's". National Park Service. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  5. ^ "The Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History - HistoryLink.org". www.historylink.org. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  6. ^ "The Terrorist Trial and the Games", A Woman Under the Surface, Princeton University Press, pp. 27–27, 2021-02-09, retrieved 2021-10-02
  7. ^ "Woman's Club | Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum". olympiahistory.org. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  8. ^ "Woman's Club | Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum". olympiahistory.org. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  9. ^ "WCO Olympia - About". www.womansclubofolympia.org. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  10. ^ "WCO Olympia - About". www.womansclubofolympia.org. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
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