Mary Harris Armor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Harris Armor
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Mary Harris Armor, c. 1922
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| Born | March 9, 1863 Penfield, Georgia, C.S.
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| Died | November 5, 1950 (aged 87) Fulton County, Georgia, U.S.
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| Known for | Georgia State President of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union |
| Spouse(s) |
Walter Florence Armor
(m. 1883) |
Mary Elizabeth Harris Armor (born March 9, 1863 – died November 6, 1950) was an important American leader. She worked to stop the sale and making of alcohol. This movement was called temperance. Mary Armor was the president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in Georgia. Many people say she helped pass laws to ban alcohol in Georgia. These laws were known as prohibition.
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About Mary Armor
Mary Elizabeth Harris was born in Georgia on March 9, 1863. Her father, William Harris, was a doctor. She married Walter Florence Armor in August 1883.
Mary Armor's Work and Influence
Mary Armor used the women's right to vote movement to help her cause. She wanted to ban alcohol in Georgia. From 1903 to 1915, she worked for the WCTU. She asked lawmakers to create laws to protect women and children. These laws would ban alcohol. Because of her efforts, many people believe she helped pass prohibition laws in Georgia.
A Powerful Voice for Change
In 1907, a law was passed to ban alcohol across Georgia. The newspaper Atlanta Constitution said she was the voice that "woke up" the state. They said she got people to act. Mary Armor believed that companies making alcohol would lose all their value.
Mary Armor was often called the "Georgia Cyclone." She traveled all over the United States. She gave speeches and campaigned for the prohibition cause. Her speeches were so powerful that some people called her "the Joan of Arc of the temperance movement." Once, she raised $7,000 for the WCTU in just one night. This was after giving a very inspiring speech. Because of her hard work, she received an honorary law degree from Wesleyan College in 1918.
International Efforts
In the 1920s, Mary Armor traveled to New Zealand. She went there to promote prohibition. The president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union New Zealand (WCTU NZ), Rachel Hull Don, welcomed her. This was on August 25, 1922, in Wellington. Many groups, including the WCTU NZ, held parties for her. They also arranged for her to meet the Prime Minister.
Mary Armor created a special song for the New Zealand campaign. It was sung to the tune of a popular song called "Bringing in the Sheaves." Many New Zealanders sang it as they worked for prohibition that year:
- New Zealand's going dry!
- New Zealand's going dry!
- Pass along the watchword,
- New Zealand’s going dry!
- New Zealand’s going dry!
- New Zealand's going dry!
- Glory Hallelujah!
- New Zealand’s going dry!
Later Life and Legacy
As part of her work, Mary Armor asked Fred Loring Seely to let the WCTU publish in his newspaper, The Atlanta Georgian. He said no because his newspaper showed prohibition as a men's issue. After the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed, Mary Armor joined the League of Women Voters. This amendment gave women the right to vote.
Mary Armor passed away on November 5, 1950.
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