Emma Beckwith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Emma Beckwith
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| Born |
Emma Knight
December 4, 1849 Cincinnati, Ohio
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| Died | November 25, 1919 (aged 69) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Bookkeeper, Optician, Suffragist |
| Spouse(s) |
Edwin Beckwith
(m. 1868) |
Emma Beckwith (born December 4, 1849, died November 25, 1919) was an amazing American woman. She was a suffragette, which means she fought for women's right to vote. Emma also worked with numbers as a bookkeeper and helped people see better as an optician. She was even an inventor!
Emma had many different jobs throughout her life. In 1878, she became the first woman to own a business in the Maiden Lane area of Manhattan. The next year, she started working as a bookkeeper on Nassau Street. She also sold glasses and invented a special tool called the Excelsior lens drill for making lenses. Later, in the 1880s, she even ran for mayor of Brooklyn with the Equal Rights Party.
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Emma's Early Life and Learning
Emma Knight was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on December 4, 1849. Her parents were Michael and Laura M. Knight. Her father grew up near Baltimore, Maryland. Her mother was a direct descendant of the Sherman family.
When Emma was four years old, her family moved to Toledo, Ohio. She went to school there and learned about different ways of thinking, including Spiritualism and Unitarianism. Emma finished high school when she was seventeen. She really wanted to earn money to follow her dreams in music.
At that time, it was not common for young women to work as store clerks. Many people thought it was not "respectable" for a young lady to stand behind a counter. This made it hard for Emma to find the job she wanted.
Working for Change
On January 30, 1868, Emma married Edwin Beckwith. They lived in Pleasantville, Iowa for several years. During this time, Emma saw how much more freedom women needed.
Later, they moved to Brooklyn, New York. Emma decided to use her skills in bookkeeping. She got permission to work in an office building on Nassau Street in Manhattan. She promised not to "demoralize" (which means to corrupt or upset) the men working there. Emma started her new job in April 1879.
She knew that other women would follow her example. So, she worked hard to show that women could be modest and honest in business. Emma became a pioneer woman bookkeeper in that part of the city. Her success helped many other women get similar jobs.
After her business career, Emma focused on teaching others. She wanted to help women become self-supporting. She believed this would help solve many issues, including those related to marriage.
Around this time, Emma met Belva Ann Lockwood. Lockwood was running for President of the United States. Emma was tired of people just talking about women's right to vote without taking action. She felt Lockwood was doing something real.
Inspired by Lockwood, Emma decided to run for mayor of Brooklyn. She represented the Equal Rights Party. Her campaign lasted only ten days and had just two public meetings. Still, she received fifty official votes. Many more votes for her were initially ignored until the New-York Tribune newspaper demanded they be counted. Emma later gave lectures about her unique campaign. She strongly believed that women should be active in politics, religion, and social life.
Emma's Groups and Causes
Emma Beckwith was part of many important groups. She was the president of the Spiritualistic Society in Brooklyn for five years. She also supported women's right to vote and was the secretary of the Woman Suffrage Society in Toledo, Ohio.
She was an early member of the Society for Political Study. After more than twenty years, she became an honorary member. Emma was also a member of the Daughters of Ohio in New York and served as their fourth president.
She was an active member of the Peace Circle, working with famous people like Clara Barton, Belva Lockwood, and Alfred Love. Emma was also the first president of the Rainy-Day Club. She was a member of the National Arts Club and the Hundred Year Club. She was also the vice-president of the Shakespeare League, a group that studied whether Shakespeare or Bacon wrote the famous plays. Emma was a Free Thinker and a Republican.
Family Life
Emma and Edwin Beckwith had three children. Their daughter Carmelita was born in 1868. Their son Arthur was born in 1870, and their daughter Betsy was born in 1875. Emma Beckwith passed away on November 25, 1919.
Images for kids
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Emma Beckwith
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Emma Beckwith
