Hallie Paxson Winsborough facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hallie Paxson Winsborough
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Hallie Paxson Winsborough, from a 1923 publication
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| Born | March 7, 1865 Mason City, Illinois, United States
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| Died | June 20, 1940 (aged 75) Davenport, Iowa, United States
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| Education | Synodical College |
| Occupation | Church leader, clubwoman, activist |
Hallie Paxson Winsborough (March 7, 1865 – June 20, 1940) was an important American church leader. She was the first person to hold the job of Secretary of Women's Work for the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS). In this role, she worked hard for civil rights and for people of different races to work together, especially in the American South. She also helped start a group called the Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching.
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Hallie's Early Life and Education
Hallie Paxson was born in Mason City, Illinois. She grew up in St. Louis. Her father, William P. Paxson, was a Presbyterian minister. Her family was very involved in church activities. Hallie went to Synodical College, which was a college for women run by the church in Fulton, Missouri.
Hallie's Career and Church Work
Hallie Winsborough was a very energetic organizer. When she was young, she worked as a teacher. In 1908, she looked into how Italian immigrant families were living in Kansas City. She wrote a report that led to the creation of special church programs for Italian and Slavic communities.
Leading Women's Work in the Church
From 1912 to 1929, Hallie Winsborough was the first Secretary of Women's Work for the PCUS. This was the Southern branch of the Presbyterian church. She started "Colored Women's Conferences" to help more Black women become active in the church.
In 1922, she visited a mission school for girls in Japan. After her visit, she started a special "birthday offering" fundraiser across the church. This money helped support mission projects around the world.
Speaking Out Against Racism
In 1923, Hallie gave a speech that was talked about all over the country. She spoke to the Executive Council of the Federal Council of Churches in Ohio. In her speech, she strongly spoke out against the Ku Klux Klan. She urged all American Christians to fight against racism and work for people of different races to cooperate.
In 1927, she made history again. She was the first woman ever allowed to speak to the church's main meeting, called the General Assembly. She left her national secretary job in 1929 because of her health. However, she continued to be involved in the programs she helped start for another ten years.
Working for Change Beyond the Church
Outside of her church work, Hallie Winsborough was also active in the Commission on Interracial Cooperation (CIC). She was a founding member of the Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching (ASWPL). This group worked to stop the terrible act of lynching, which was a form of violence and murder often used against Black people. In 1925, she was a representative from America at a big international church meeting in Stockholm, called the World Conference of Life and Work.
Hallie's Family and Lasting Impact
Hallie Paxson married William Calvert Winsborough, a lawyer, in 1888. They had six children together. Sadly, two of her children, Zue and Hal, passed away before her. Hallie Winsborough died in 1940 in Davenport, Iowa, when she was 75 years old.
Buildings Named in Her Honor
Two buildings were named in her memory. Winsborough Hall was the first women's dormitory (a place for students to live) at Stillman College. Another building at Montreat Conference Center in North Carolina was also named after her.
Her Grandchildren's Achievements
Her grandson, Halliman H. Winsborough, became a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her granddaughter, Hallie Paxson Davis Christian, who was named after her, became an engineer and a Methodist minister.
