Annalee Stewart (February 17, 1900 – November 1988) was one of the first ordained female ministers of the U.S. Methodist Church and was the first woman to be a guest chaplain for the U.S. House of Representatives. She was a peace activist and served as president of the

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is a non-profit non-governmental organization working "to bring together women of different political views and philosophical and religious backgrounds determined to study and make kno ...

(WILPF) between 1946 and 1950.

Biography

Annalee Hayes Kyger was born on February 17, 1900, in Bloomington, Illinois, to Herbert E. Kyger and Iva Belle Hayes. She graduated from

Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockford ...

in 1921 and went on to study at

Boston University School of Theology Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) is the oldest theological seminary of American Methodism and the founding school of Boston University, the largest private research university in New England. It is one of thirteen theological school ...

, Colgate Rochester Theological Seminary, and Union Theological Seminary in New York City. On 17 April 1931 received full ordination as a Methodist clergy, becoming one of the first ordained female ministers of the Methodist Church in the US. In 1924, she became involved with the

(WILPF), serving in various capacities until the 1960s. She was Chicago chapter president in 1943 and then National President between 1946 and 1950, Legislative Secretary from 1949 to 1964 and again in 1966, and served as Legislative and Branch Liaison between 1964 and 1966. Stewart became Director of Religious Education at the Centre Methodist Church of

Malden, Massachusetts Malden is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 66,263 people. History Malden, a hilly woodland area north of the Mystic River, was settled by Puritans in 1640 on la ...

between 1937 and 1943. During World War II, Stewart and her family moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and until the early 1950s they traveled back and forth between

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and Chicago. On June 11, 1948, Stewart became the first woman to lead a prayer for the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

and as late as 1967 had been the only female guest chaplain of the House. Stewart actively lobbied against war, co-chairing the WILPF Committee to Oppose Conscription of Women for World War II, visiting Congress to speak against the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, as well as the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, and calling on scientists to stop germ warfare and nuclear tests, urging total disarmament. Stewart traveled widely participating in conferences around the world speaking for world peace, attending seven international world congresses and advocating for a strong United Nations. In 1947, she was one of the WILPF delegates to the

Primer Congreso Interamericano de Mujeres The Primer Congreso Interamericano de Mujeres (First Inter-American Congress of Women) was a feminist meeting held from 21 to 27 August 1947 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. It was called together by the Women's International League for Peace and Freed ...

held in

Guatemala City Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, nest ...

. In the decade after the end of World War II, she made five trips to Europe, traveled to Palestine, traveled throughout the United States, as well as fact finding missions like the 1965 clergy visit to Vietnam and trips to India, Israel, Japan, Poland, and the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. In 1966, Stewart received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Illinois Wesleyan University and received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from the school in 1967. She retired in 1970. Stewart died in November 1988 in Middlesex, Massachusetts. She had been married to Alexander Stewart, who was also a Methodist minister. They had two daughters and a son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Annalee 1910 births 1988 deaths Women Christian clergy American pacifists People from Bloomington, Illinois