Isabella W. Blaney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Isabella Williams Blaney
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| Born |
Isabella Williams
1854 Chicago, Illinois, US
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| Died | 1933 (aged 78–79) Santa Clara, California, US
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| Spouse(s) |
Charles D. Blaney
(m. 1877; died in 1923) |
Isabella Williams Blaney (1854–1933) was an important leader in California. She worked hard for women's rights and for women to get the right to vote. She was also a special representative, called a delegate, at big political meetings for the Republican and Progressive parties in 1912.
About Isabella's Life
Isabella Williams was born in 1854 in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents were John Marshall Williams and Elizabeth Caroline Smith. In 1877, she married Charles D. Blaney in Evanston, Illinois.
In 1883, Isabella and Charles moved to a large ranch in the Santa Clara Valley in California. They had one daughter, Clarissa Butler Blaney. Sadly, Clarissa died in 1901 at age 17 from a serious illness. To remember their daughter, the Blaneys helped build a special hospital section at O'Connor Hospital. This section was for patients with contagious diseases.
Isabella's husband, Charles, worked in real estate, which means he bought and sold land and buildings. He also led the first California Highway Commission, which helped build roads in California. Charles passed away in 1923.
Isabella Blaney loved to travel and visited many countries. She was also very interested in helping people in other parts of the world. She was a main supporter of a medical hospital in Northern China. Isabella Blaney died in Santa Clara, California, in 1933 when she was 80 years old.
Isabella's Political Work
Isabella Blaney was a strong supporter of women's suffrage. This was the movement to give women the right to vote. She was the vice president of a group called the Club Women's Franchise League. This group worked to get women the right to vote.
In 1910, she organized and paid for people to go door-to-door in the Santa Clara Valley. They talked to people about women's right to vote for a special election in California in 1911. Isabella was also on the main leadership team of the California Equal Suffrage Association.
In 1911, Isabella was chosen as a vice president of the La Follette League of California. This was a big honor for women who had just gained the right to vote in California. She was the first woman in California to get a leadership role in a political group.
Later, she supported Theodore Roosevelt for president. This happened after Senator Robert M. La Follette stopped his presidential campaign.
Isabella Blaney and Florence Collins Porter were thought to be the first women delegates at a national political meeting. However, Therese A. Jenkins was actually a delegate in 1892. When asked how it felt to be among the first women to vote at a national meeting, Isabella said she just voted and didn't get too emotional. She and other delegates from California had to vote for Theodore Roosevelt because of a state law.
After Roosevelt did not win the nomination, Isabella became a delegate for the Progressive Party. This party also nominated Roosevelt for president. Isabella and three other women were chosen by other women delegates to be on the Progressive Party's National Committee.
As a member of the Progressive Party, Isabella Blaney supported John M. Eshleman. He successfully ran for California lieutenant governor in 1914.
Isabella's Homes
For some time, the Blaneys had a summer home in Pasadena, California. In her later years, Isabella Blaney often stayed at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.
The Blaney family home in Saratoga, California, was very grand. It cost $300,000 to build in 1918. The house had a theater and a ballroom. In 1927, the home hosted outdoor plays about the lives of American Indians. These plays were a benefit for the American Indian Defense Association. In 1932, the house was almost destroyed by a fire.
Isabella's Legacy
In 1925, Isabella Blaney paid for a special pipe organ to be placed in the Saratoga Federated Church. This was a gift to honor her late husband, Charles.
