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Concept
Katherine Duer Mackay
Summary
Katherine Alexander Duer Mackay (1878–1930) was an American suffragist, socialite and writer from New York city. She was the founder of the Equal Franchise Society. Her involvement with the woman's suffrage movement "encouraged other wealthy women to follow her lead and become involved." She was also the first female member of the Roslyn Union Free School District's school board in Roslyn, New York.
Katherine Duer was born in New York City in 1878. She was a direct descendant of Lady Kitty Duer, daughter of Lord Stirling. She married Clarence H. Mackay in 1898. Mackay was well known in connection with Harbor Hill where she was involved with philanthropy and education. She lived in Roslyn from 1898 to 1910. In 1899, Mackay refurbished Roslyn's public library, the William Cullen Bryant Library. She installed new carpet, replaced books and hired two librarians. Mackay would invite people, and children, to the house for various functions. Once, the Trinity Episcopal Sunday School members were invited to Harbor Hill for a picnic where the children inducted her as an "honorary knight". Mackay served on the Roslyn School board from 1905 to 1910, and was the first woman on the board. During her term on the board, she was able to successfully remove corporal punishment from the public schools in Roslyn. She also enrolled her own children in the public schools in Roslyn because she felt that "it is necessary for the rich as well as the poor to patronize them."
"It is necessary for the rich as well as the poor to patronize them [public schools]."
Mackay became the president of the Equal Franchise Society (EFS), which she founded, in 1908. She leased offices for the group's meetings in the Madison Square Building. Mackay's involvement in the suffrage movement helped combat the stereotype of suffragists as "frumpy" or "unwomanly".In March 1909, the EFS resolved to work towards suffrage for women in New York, hoping they could pave the way for suffrage across the country by 1914.
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