Lucy Burns Rank
About Lucy Burns
American nationalist and women’s rights activists, Lucy Burns is best known as the co-founder of the National Woman’s Party. As one of the leading figures of the first part of the 20th century, the Brooklyn-born rights activist built strong associations with Alice Paul, American suffragist.
Family
She was the fourth child of her parents.
Education
She studied at Vassar College in New York and graduated in 1902. She is also an alumnus of Columbia University, Yale University and Oxford University.
Early Career
She later became an English tutor at Erasmus High School in Brooklyn, New York. Burns became interested in the struggle to obtain suffrage for women during her graduate studies in Germany. The young and energetic activist left for England where she would meet suffragist conveners Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst. She was inspired by their activism and abandoned her studies in order to join the Women’s Social and Political Union where she sold their newsletter “Votes for Women”.
Women’s Rights Activism
The activist participated in a protest on June 29, 1909 for which she was arrested. She later worked as an organizer for the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) for two years, between 1910 and 1912.
Burns met colleague activist Alice Paul at a London police station. The latter had also been arrested for protesting and campaigning for women’s rights. The two women developed a bond and would later work together on several projects.
She gave moving speeches in marketplaces and on street corners while she was in Europe. Her efforts landed her in hot waters, as she was tried in courts and accused by newspapers for disorderly conduct.
The suffragist returned to the United States and became a member of the National American Women's Suffrage Association (NAWSA) with Alice Paul. After forming the National Women’s Party, the duo served as leaders of the party’s congressional committee. They later formed a committee known as the Congressional Union of National American Women's Suffrage Association.
Achievements
She was the first woman who spoke in front of Congressional delegates in 1914 for more women’s rights.
Burns was awarded a “Hunger Strike Medal ‘for Valor’” by the Women’s Social and Political union.
She was posthumously honored by the National Women’s History Alliance in 2020.
Trivia
In August 1909, she hid on the rooftop of the St. Andrew’s Hall in Glasgow, together with Adela Pankhurst, Alice Paul and Margaret Smith. The suffragists’ goal was to interrupt an all-male event in the hall.
An institute, located in Madison, Wisconsin, was established in her honor. The name of the organization is Lucy Burns Institute.
Death
Lucy Burns passed away on December 22, 1966, aged 87.
Lucy Burns Rank
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F.A.Q. about Lucy Burns
When is her birthday?
Lucy Burns' birthday is on July 28, 1879.
In how many days is her birthday?
Lucy's birthday is in 139 days
How old was Lucy when she died?
She was 87 years old.
When did she die?
She died in December 22, 1966.
How old would she be today?
Lucy Burns would be 145 years old if she was alive today.
Where was Lucy from?
She was born in Brooklyn, New York, U.S..