Elizabeth Eggert facts for kids

Elizabeth Avery Eggert (born 1848, died 1935) was a very important woman. She was a doctor who used a special kind of medicine called homeopathy. She was also a successful businesswoman. Most importantly, she was an activist who helped women in Oregon get the right to vote. She worked to improve public health and helped many people in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Early Life and Learning

Elizabeth Avery was born in 1848 in Oxfordshire, England. When she was about five years old, her family moved to the United States. They made their home in Connecticut. Elizabeth went to school at the Ipswich Female Seminary in Massachusetts. Later, in the late 1860s, she finished her studies. She graduated from a special medical college for women in Ohio. This college taught about homeopathy, a type of medicine.

Her Work and Business

After finishing her studies, Elizabeth moved to Lawrence, Kansas. There, she opened her own medical office. She practiced homeopathy, a system of medicine that uses very small doses of natural substances. In 1872, Elizabeth made history. She became the first woman in Kansas to join any medical group in that state. She joined the Kansas Homeopathic Medical Society.

The next year, she married Frederick Eggert. Frederick was from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1876, Elizabeth and Frederick moved to Albany, Oregon. Frederick worked in a store that sold dry goods, like fabric and clothing. In 1882, they moved again, this time to Portland, Oregon.

In Portland, the couple opened a shoe store. It was called Eggert, Young & Company. Their business grew and opened several branches across the Pacific Northwest. Frederick managed the main store in Portland until he passed away in 1918. Elizabeth then became the vice president of the Eggert-Young Company.

Fighting for Women's Vote

Elizabeth was very active for about 25 years in the movement to get women the right to vote in Oregon. People who worked for this cause were called suffragists. In 1912, she was the president of the Portland Woman's Club. This was the last year the club campaigned for women's voting rights. Women in Oregon were granted the right to vote in November of that year.

Elizabeth was also a member of the club's Suffrage Campaign Committee. She helped organize events and spoke to many people about why women should vote. Her hard work likely played a very important part in the success of the campaign.