MILLICENT FAWCETT

                                                                     https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/our-history?gclid=CjwKCAjw_47YBRBxEiwAYuKdw3Qxy2A6VONrTeLFZdKnZs6crnnrplzRN6A0WpEAKf1mU96L91Au4BoCGf4QAvD_BwE

Millicent Garrett Fawcett was born on 11th June,1847, in Aldeburg to Newson and Louisa Garrett, the eighth of ten children, Millicent and her siblings were encouraged to be physically active, read widely and speak their minds. They were also encouraged to share in the political interests of their father who was a Gladstonian Liberalism, a combative man, and a keen patriot.

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (Millicent's elder sister) became Britain's first female doctor and she introduced her younger sister to Emily Davies (An English Suffragist) who is quotes as saying:" it is quite clear what has to be done. I must devote myself to securing higher education, while you open the medical profession to women. After these things are done, we must see about getting the vote."
(All information is from Wikipedia)

When she was twelve, Millicent and Elizabeth were sent to study at a private boarding school in Blackheath. In time, Millicent met John Stuart Mills who was an early advocate of universal women's suffrage. His speech on equal rights fro women made a big impression on Millicent. Garrett, Davies and Fawcett worked to form the Kensington Society in 1965, along with ten other young ladies. A year later, Millicent became secretary of the London Society for Women's Suffrage. She was 19 years of age !

Millicent was introduced to Henry Fawcett, a Liberal member of Parliament, and despite a fourteen year age gap, they married on 23rd April.1867. Their only child, Philippa, was born in 1868. Millicent ran two households, one in Cambridge and one in London. Henry and Millicent had a close relationship, a real loving marriage. Philippa excelled at school.
In 1868, Millicent joined the London Suffrage Committee, and in 1869, spoke at the first public pro-suffrage meeting held in London. In 1875, Millicent co-founded Newham Hall, and served on its council.

 
When her husband died in 1884, Millicent temporarily withdrew from public life, selling both family homes and moving, with Philippa, into the house of her sister, Agnes Garrett. resuming work in 1885, Millicent was a key member of the Women's local Government Society and later became the leader of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), the main Suffrage organization in Britain. She held this post until 1919, a year after the first women had been granted the vote. After that, Millicent left the suffrage campaign and devoted much of her time to writing books. Millicent died at home in Gower Street.

Other campaigns Millicent Fawcett supported were " to curb child abuse by raising the age of consent, criminalising incest, cruelty to children within the family, to end the practice of excluding women from courtrooms when sexual offences were under consideration, to stamp out the 'white slave trade', and to prevent child marriage and the introduction of regulated prostitution in India."

The NUWSS continued to campaign for the vote during the war, and used the situation to their advantage by pointing out the contribution women had made to the war effort.