Charlotte Everett Wise Hopkins (June 7, 1851 – September 6, 1935) was an American philanthropist and social reformer. She was president of the Home for Incurables in Washington, D.C. for over forty years.

Early life and education

Charlotte Everett Wise was born in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

and raised in Washington, D.C., the daughter of

Henry Augustus Wise Henry Augustus Wise (May 24, 1819 – April 3, 1869) was an author and United States Navy officer. Biography He was born in Brooklyn, New York, to George Stewart Wise and Catherine Standsberry. The Wise family moved to Virginia and his Naval care ...

and Charlotte Brooks Everett Wise. Her father was a captain in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. Her grandfather Edward Everett was

governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachusetts ...

and

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

; her uncle William Everett was head of

Adams Academy Adams Academy was a school that opened in 1872 in Quincy, Massachusetts, United States. John Adams, the second President of the United States, had many years before established the Adams Temple and School Fund. This fund gave of land to the peop ...

. Her maternal great-grandfather was Massachusetts businessman

Peter Chardon Brooks Peter Chardon Brooks (January 6, 1767 – January 1, 1849) was a wealthy Massachusetts merchant. Early life Brooks born in North Yarmouth, Maine, on January 6, 1767. His parents were the Rev. Edward Brooks and Abigail Brown. In 1769, the fami ...

Career

Hopkins was "one of Washington's most public-spirited and philanthropic women." She was president of the nonsectarian Home for Incurables in Washington, D.C. for over forty years, and served on the board of the United States Hospital for the Insane. She was vice-president of the Monday Evening Club. She led fundraising for the Ellen Wilson Memorial Homes, a planned housing renewal project in Washington. Despite some public interest in 1914, the plan was shelved. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Hopkins was chair of the Woman's Department of the National Civic Federation, District of Columbia Section, and worked on coordinating women's war relief efforts, for example collecting donations of linen for surgical use, or providing family assistance for the dependents of military personnel. In March 1933, in her eighties, she gave new First Lady

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

a tour of Washington's neighborhoods, and is credited with helping to create the Alley Dwelling Authority in 1934, to improve sanitation and housing in the city. Hopkins was president of the George Washington Memorial Association, and vice-president of the Washington Animal Rescue League. She donated her uncle William Everett's papers to the

Massachusetts Historical Society The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history. The Massachusetts Historical Society was established in 1791 and is located at 1154 Boylston Street in Bost ...

. After her husband died, she donated a Confederate sword that he had kept from the war, to the

Confederate Museum The American Civil War Museum is a multi-site museum in the Greater Richmond Region of central Virginia, dedicated to the history of the American Civil War. The museum operates three sites: White House of the Confederacy, The White House of the Con ...

in Richmond.

Publications

* "A Report Concerning the Colored Women of the South" (1896, with Elizabeth Christophers Kimball Hobson) * "The Washington Alley Bill" (1914)

Personal life and legacy

Wise married lawyer, writer, and

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

veteran Archibald Hopkins in 1878. Her husband's father was theologian Mark Hopkins, and his brother was pastor Henry Hopkins. They had four children; a son died in 1889, and a daughter died in 1912. Her husband died in 1926, and she died in 1935, at the age of 84, in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Her grave is with her husband's, in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. The

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

has the Charlotte Everett Hopkins Collection of National Civic Federation, Woman's Department, District of Columbia Section Records.Charlotte Everett Hopkins Collection
of National Civic Federation, Woman's Department, District of Columbia Section Records, A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Charlotte Everett 1851 births 1935 deaths People from Cambridge, Massachusetts People from Washington, D.C. American philanthropists Clubwomen American social reformers American women in World War I Burials at Arlington National Cemetery