Esther Pugh (August 31, 1834 – March 29, 1908) was an American

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

reformer of the

long nineteenth century The ''long nineteenth century'' is a term for the 125-year period beginning with the onset of the French Revolution in 1789 and ending with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It was coined by Russian writer Ilya Ehrenburg and British Marxist his ...

. She served as Treasurer of the National

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 ...

(WCTU), a Trustee of

Earlham College Earlham College is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. The college was established in 1847 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and has a strong focus on Quaker values such as integrity, a commitment to peace and social ...

, as well as editor and publisher of the monthly temperance journal, ''Our Union''.

Early life

Esther Pugh, daughter of Achilles and Anna Maria Pugh, was born in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Ohio, August 31, 1834. Her parents were

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

. For many years, the father was a journalist in Cincinnati, and publisher of the ''Chronicle''. Pugh received a good education.

Career

Early on, Pugh became interested in moral reforms, and soon became prominent in the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

. She was one of the leaders in the movement, joining the WCTU during its first meetings. She served as Treasurer of the National WCTU for 15 years, and her management style repeatedly aided the national order in passing through financial difficulties. Considered to be a clear and forcible orator, she traveled for temperance work throughout the United States and Canada, lecturing and organizing unions. Pugh's association with

Frances E. Willard Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard (September 28, 1839 – February 17, 1898) was an Americans, American educator, Temperance movement, temperance reformer, and women's suffrage, women's suffragist. Willard became the national president of Wom ...

was enduring. EstherPugh

Succeeding Mary Towne Burt, Pugh served as publisher and editor of the monthly temperance journal, ''Our Union'', for years. According to Gifford (1995), Pugh, Frances H. Rastall and Caroline Buell used ''

The Union Signal ''The Union Signal'' (formerly, ''The Woman's Temperance Union'', ''Our Union'') is a defunct American newspaper, established in 1883 in Chicago, Illinois. Focused on temperance, it was the organ of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), a ...

'' (the paper's name after its merger with ''The Signal'') to promote their private businesses. Because of her journalistic experience, Pugh was called upon to provide guidance for the Woman's Home Missionary Society of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

's periodical, ''Woman's Home Missions'', regarding

typeset Typesetting is the composition of text by means of arranging physical ''type'' (or ''sort'') in mechanical systems or ''glyphs'' in digital systems representing '' characters'' (letters and other symbols).Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random H ...

and how to make up a "dummy". Pugh's work in the WCTU, beginning in Cincinnati, caused her residence at different times to be in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, and

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

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

, though made her home is in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...

. She served an Elder in the Friends church. She was appointed a Trustee of Earlham College by Indiana Yearly Meeting, and held that position until failing health made it necessary for her to resign.

Death

Esther Pugh died in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, March 29, 1908. The funeral service was held at the home of her sister, Mary T. Wildman, in Philadelphia. Pugh was buried either in

Waynesville, Ohio Waynesville is a village in Wayne Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,834 at the 2010 census. It is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. The village, located at the crossroads of U.S. Route 42 and State Route ...

or in Corwin, Ohio at Miami Cemetery.

References

Attribution

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Bibliography

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pugh, Esther 1834 births 1908 deaths 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 19th-century American writers 19th-century American women writers Women newspaper editors Women in publishing Woman's Christian Temperance Union people People from Cincinnati American social reformers American Quakers Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century