Eva McLaren facts for kids
Eva Maria McLaren (born Müller; 1852 – August 16, 1921) was an English woman who worked hard for women's rights, especially the right to vote. She was also a writer and a campaigner. She held important roles in groups like the World's Woman's Christian Temperance Union, where she led the department focused on voting rights.
Eva McLaren was also a Vice-President of the National British Women's Temperance Association. She often led this group when its president was away. She was an expert on how Parliament worked and how debates should be run. She wrote helpful guides for women on their duties in local councils. Eva deeply believed that women should have the right to vote and was a great speaker. Her husband, Walter McLaren, was a Member of Parliament (MP) and a strong supporter of women's rights in the British Parliament.
Early Life and Family
Eva Maria Müller was born in 1852. Her father, William Müller, was a German businessman, and her mother, Maria Henrietta, was English. Eva had a sister named Henrietta Müller, who also became a well-known supporter of women's right to vote.
Eva spent her early childhood in Valparaíso, Chile. Later, her family moved to London, England.
Working for Change
Eva McLaren's mother had modern political ideas and introduced Eva to Octavia Hill. Eva helped Octavia Hill by collecting rent and looking after the people living in rented homes in Marylebone. Later, Eva trained to be a nurse in Liverpool.
In 1881, Eva helped start a group called the Society for Promoting the Return of Women as Poor Law Guardians. This group helped women get elected to local boards that looked after the poor. This society later grew into the Women's Local Government Society, which worked to help women get involved in local government.
On April 18, 1883, Eva married Walter McLaren in Westminster. Walter was a politician, and his mother, Priscilla Bright McLaren, was a leader in the women's suffrage movement in Edinburgh. Walter also believed women should have the right to vote. In 1884, Eva and Walter joined the Manchester Society for Women's Suffrage.
In 1886, Walter McLaren became a Liberal Party MP for Crewe. He was one of the few MPs who supported votes for women. He helped lead a special committee in Parliament that worked on a bill to give women the right to vote.
Eva McLaren became a key member of several important groups. She joined the central committee of the National Society for Women's Suffrage and became a leading member of the Women's Liberal Federation. She also helped start the Forward Suffrage Union in 1908. This group aimed to push for women's voting rights from within the Liberal Party.
In February 1907, Eva was one of the speakers at the Mud March. This was a large march where many women walked through the mud to demand the right to vote. Her husband chaired the meeting that took place after the march.
Eva McLaren wrote many important leaflets and pamphlets. These included Civil Rights of Women (1888) and guides on The Election of Women on Parish and District Councils (1894). In 1903, she wrote The History of the Women's Suffrage Movement in the Women's Liberal Federation. These writings helped explain why women should have more rights and how they could get involved in local government.
Walter McLaren passed away in 1912. When World War I began, Eva McLaren returned to nursing. She worked at a hospital in France during the winter of 1914–1915. However, she had to return to England because of poor health.
Eva McLaren died on August 16, 1921, in Kent.
Remembering Her Work
Eva McLaren's name and picture are honored on the base of the statue of Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square, London. This statue was unveiled in 2018 and celebrates many women who fought for the right to vote.
