Harriette R. Shattuck facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harriette R. Shattuck
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
"A Woman of the Century"
|
|
| Born | Harriette Lucy Robinson December 4, 1850 Lowell, Massachusetts, US |
| Died | March 24, 1937 (aged 86) Malden, Massachusetts |
| Resting place | Sleepy Hollow Cemetery |
| Nickname | Hattie |
| Occupation |
|
| Spouse |
Sidney Doane Shattuck (m. 1878)
|
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Elizabeth Osborne Robinson Abbott (sister) |
Harriette R. Shattuck (born Robinson; December 4, 1850 – March 24, 1937) was an important American writer and teacher. She taught people how to lead meetings and was a pioneer who fought for women's right to vote. Harriette Shattuck was the first woman to work as an assistant clerk for the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1872. She also wrote many books.
Contents
Harriette Shattuck's Early Life
Harriette Lucy Robinson, also known as "Hattie," was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, on December 4, 1850. She was the oldest of four children. Her parents were William Stevens Robinson and Harriet Hanson Robinson. Her mother was also a famous writer and activist.
Harriette went to public schools in Malden, Massachusetts. She studied law and also had special training in writing. Even as an adult, she kept learning about different topics. She was especially interested in philosophy and politics.
Harriette's Career and Contributions
After finishing school, Harriette started writing stories for children. She also wrote articles for newspapers. These articles were often about women's issues.
First Woman in Government
When her father was a clerk for the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Harriette worked as his assistant. This was a big deal because she was the first woman to hold such a job in Massachusetts. She worked there from 1871 to 1872.
She also worked as a clerk for the American Social Science Association in Boston. This group studied social issues.
Writing Books and Sharing Ideas
For several years, Harriette wrote letters for the Boston Evening Transcript newspaper. These letters explained the ideas of famous thinkers like Plato and Dante Alighieri. She made these complex ideas easier for everyone to understand.
One of her books, The Story of Dante's Divine Comedy (1887), came from these letters. She also wrote Our Mutual Friend (1880), which was a play based on a book by Charles Dickens. Another book was Little Folks East and West (1891), a collection of children's stories.
Fighting for Women's Right to Vote
Harriette was very interested in helping women advance. She especially cared about women getting the right to vote. She gave her first speech for women's suffrage in Rochester, New York, in 1878.
After that, she spoke to important groups like committees in Congress and the Massachusetts legislature. She also spoke at many meetings in Washington, D.C. and other places. In 1888, she led one of the sessions at the first International Council of Women in Washington, D.C.
Harriette was not a loud speaker, but she was very good at writing. She also taught people how to lead public meetings using proper rules. Her most popular book was Woman's Manual of Parliamentary Law (1891). This book became a standard guide for how to run meetings.
Groups Harriette Shattuck Joined
For ten years, Harriette Shattuck was the president of the National Woman Suffrage Association of Massachusetts. This group worked to get women the right to vote.
She was also the president of the Boston Political Class for seven years. In this class, people learned about how government works and talked about current political topics. Harriette also started "The Old and New" club in Malden, Massachusetts. It was one of the oldest women's clubs in the country. She was also a member of the New England Woman's Press Association.
Her Family Life
On June 11, 1878, Harriette married Sidney Doane Shattuck. He was a merchant from Malden.
Harriette Shattuck passed away on March 24, 1937, at the age of 86. She was buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts.
Her important papers and those of her mother are kept at the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University.
