Maria de Lopez facts for kids

Maria Guadalupe Evangelina de Lopez (1881-1977) was an amazing woman from Los Angeles, California. She worked hard to help women get the right to vote, a movement called suffrage. She was also a dedicated teacher. In the 1910s, Maria spoke at many events in Southern California. She even translated important messages into Spanish so more people could understand.

Early Life and Family

Maria de Lopez grew up in San Gabriel, Los Angeles. Her family lived in an old home called La casa de Lopez de Lowther Adobe. Her father, Juan Nepomiceno Lopez, moved into this house in 1849. Maria's family lived there until 1964. When Maria retired, she also lived in this historic adobe house.

Maria's father was a blacksmith, and her mother's name was Guadalupe. Maria had a sister named Ernestina, who also received a good education. Their older sister, Belen, stayed home and worked as a seamstress. This helped the family financially.

By the 1890s, Maria's older siblings had moved out. Two of her sisters had married and left home. This made it easier for Maria and Ernestina to stay in school. When their father passed away in 1904, both sisters returned home. They supported their mother by working as Spanish teachers.

Maria's Teaching Career

Maria de Lopez had a long and important career in education. She taught English to students learning it as a second language at Los Angeles High School. Maria also worked as a translator at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

In 1902, Maria became the youngest instructor at the University of California. This might have made her the first Latina woman to teach at UCLA. In the 1930s, she was even the president of the UCLA faculty women's club.

Fighting for Women's Right to Vote

Pamphlet of the Los Angeles Political Equality League by Maria de Lopez.

Maria de Lopez was a strong supporter of women's right to vote. She was a member of the Votes for Women Club in Los Angeles. Other important women like Cora Lewis and Clara Shortridge Foltz were also in this group.

On October 3, 1911, the Votes for Women Club held a big meeting. Maria de Lopez gave a speech there in Spanish. She was also part of other important groups, like the Women's College Club.

Maria was the president of the College Equal Suffrage League of Southern California. This was when women in California won the right to vote in 1911. That same year, she wrote an article for the Los Angeles Herald. In it, she said that equal rights for women and men were important for a democracy.

In 1913, the Los Angeles Herald reported that Maria was chosen to represent California. She was supposed to march in a big suffrage parade in Washington, D.C. This parade was organized by famous suffragists Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. We don't know for sure if Maria attended the parade.

Maria de Lopez was a key translator for the suffrage movement. She helped during the 1911 state-wide campaign. She started a campaign among Spanish and Mexican communities. She traveled around the state, giving speeches about suffrage in Spanish. Maria de Lopez is known as the first person to give speeches in California about equal suffrage in Spanish. She also gave speeches in English.

Helping During World War I

During World War I, Maria de Lopez stopped teaching for a while. She moved to New York City and trained to be an ambulance driver. She even learned to fly a plane! Maria served in the ambulance corps in France. Later, the French government honored her for her bravery.

Maria's Personal Life

Maria de Lopez was known by several names, including Lupe, Eva, Maria, and Marie. She finished Pasadena High School in 1897. Then, she graduated from the Los Angeles Normal School, which was a college for teachers.

Maria de Lopez married Hugh Lowther, who was a professor at Occidental College. After they married, she was sometimes called Maria de Lopez Lowther or Maria de Lopez de Lowther. The 1930 census shows that she was 38 years old when she got married.