Emma E. Bower (1852 – October 11, 1937) was an American physician, and a newspaper owner, publisher, and editor. She was also an active

clubwoman The woman's club movement was a social movement that took place throughout the United States that established the idea that women had a moral duty and responsibility to transform public policy. While women's organizations had always been a par ...

. Bower practiced medicine in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

before returning to

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

where, from 1896 to 1904, she owned, published, and edited a county paper, the Ann Arbor ''Democrat''. For nine years, she was a member of the Ann Arbor board of education, during such time holding the office of president and treasurer. She served as treasurer of the

Michigan Woman's Press Association Michigan Woman's Press Association (MWPA) was an American professional association for women writers and journalists in Michigan. Founded in 1890, it was active until shortly before World War I, though there was an unsuccessful attempt to revive ac ...

, secretary-treasurer of the Michigan State Fraternal Congress, and held the office of president of the National Fraternal Press Association. She was the Great Record Keeper of the

Ladies of the Maccabees The Ladies of the Maccabees (L.O.T.M.) (renamed in 1892, Ladies of the Modern Maccabees (L.O.T.M.M.); in 1915, Women's Benefit Association; in 1966, North American Benefit Association) was the female auxiliary of the Knights of the Maccabees. It ...

(L. O. T. M.).

Early years and education

Emma Eliza Bower was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1852. Her father, Henry Bower, was a dry-goods merchant of Ann Arbor for many years and in later life was a publisher in the newspaper field. Her mother, the former Margaret Gertrude Chase, was a native of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. In the family were six children: Henry E. H., Emma E., Margaret V., Charles, Dwight, and Burroughs Frank. Bower attended public-school in Ann Arbor, and after completing her more specifically literary education entered the

University of Michigan Medical School Michigan Medicine (University of Michigan Health System or UMHS before 2017) is the wholly owned academic medical center of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Medicine includes the Universi ...

, from which she was graduated in 1883.

Career

Believing that the city offered the largest field for usefulness, Bower took up her residence in Detroit, Michigan, where she enjoyed a successful practice as assistant physician for two years. At the end of that time, a serious illness in her father's family caused her to give up her practice and return home to assist her family. The Ann Arbor ''Democrat'' was founded in September, 1878, by her brother, B. Frank Bower and Col. John L. Burleigh, young Bower being its editor, but four years later he accepted a daily newspaper position in Detroit, and his brother, Henry E. H. Bower, became editor-in-chief of the ''Democrat'', and was assisted in his editorial work by his sister, Emma. His failing health threw more and more of the work upon her, and upon his death, April 30, 1888, she took full possession and had absolute control of the paper thereafter. She did all the work of an editor-in-chief, collected and wrote up all the news, solicited advertisements, personally attended to all the departments of the paper and never failed to send out a number every Friday in the year. Bower served as the lady commander of Arbor Hive No. 113, L. O. T. M. In 1893, she was elected to the office of Great Record Keeper of the L. O. T. M., an organization with a membership of 86,000, with headquarters in Ann Arbor. In this position, she had 30 assistants, and with them, published a club newspaper, ''The Lady Maccabee''. Established in 1890, Bower served as editor of ''The Lady Maccabee'', was published by The Inland Press, and had a circulation average during 1896 of more than 31,000, and in 1897, of more than 35,000. She was also involved with the Secretaries' Association, an auxiliary of the National Fraternal Congress, which was composed of over fifty of the leading fraternal beneficiary societies In September, 1894, Bower was elected a member of the Ann Arbor school board and served as president, secretary and treasurer.

Affiliations

Bower was a member of the Michigan Woman's Press Association and served on its executive committee; secretary and treasurer of the Michigan Fraternal Congress; president of the National Fraternal Press Association; vice president, "The Homeopathic Alumni of the University of Michigan; and vice president of the International Council of Women. She co-founded the Political Equality Club of Ann Arbor. She was the superintendent of Legislation and Petition of the Michigan State

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...

, Second District; and senior vice-president of the

Woman's Relief Corps The Woman's Relief Corps (WRC) is a charitable organization in the United States, originally founded as the official women's auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) in 1883. The organization was designed to assist the GAR and p ...

No. 218. She was a member of the

Order of the Eastern Star The Order of the Eastern Star is a Freemasonry, Masonic List of fraternal auxiliaries and side degrees, appendant Masonic bodies, body open to both men and women. It was established in by lawyer and educator Rob Morris (Freemason), Rob Morris, ...

; the Rebekahs; and citizens' reception committee to entertain the State Legislature in March, 1893.

Personal life

Bower favored

suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally i ...

. She made her home in

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

. Religiously, she was a life-long member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. Bower died at Ann Arbor on October 11, 1937.

Notes

References

Attribution

* * * * * * *

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bower, Emma E. 1852 births 1937 deaths 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 19th-century American women writers People from Ann Arbor, Michigan University of Michigan Medical School alumni Woman's Christian Temperance Union people Physicians from Michigan American women non-fiction writers Women newspaper editors Woman's Relief Corps people Clubwomen Ladies of the Maccabees