Mary Allen West

Mary Allen West
"A Woman of the Century"
"A Woman of the Century"
BornJuly 13, 1837
Galesburg, Illinois, U.S.
DiedDecember 1, 1892 (aged 65)[1]
Japan
Occupationjournalist, editor, educator, philanthropist, superintendent of schools, temperance worker
LanguageEnglish
Notable worksChildhood: Its Care and Culture (1887)
Signature

Mary Allen West (July 13, 1837 – December 1, 1892) 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,[2] Illinois State Superintendent of Temperance in Schools of Higher Education,[3] 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).[4] She died in Japan, in 1892, while training temperance workers in organization and promotion reform efforts.

  1. ^ Beckenham Abstainers' Union (1895). The Abstainers' Advocate, Volumes 6–11. p. 182.
  2. ^ Woman's Christian Temperance Union 1884, p. vii.
  3. ^ Woman's Christian Temperance Union 1884, p. xxii.
  4. ^ Everett 1888, p. 597.