Flora Dunlap (born 1872) was a social worker and social reform activist in Iowa. She served as the president of the Iowa Equal Suffrage Association in 1913. She headed the Roadside Settlement House in

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. Dunlap was the first woman to ever serve on the

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

of Des Moines. She was a friend of

Jane Addams Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860 May 21, 1935) was an American settlement activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, and author. She was an important leader in the history of social work and women's suffrage ...

and a supporter of the

Women's Suffrage Movement Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to gran ...

Early life and education

Dunlap was born in 1872 to Mary and Samuel W. Dunlap. Growing up in Circleville, Ohio, she attended school in nearby Columbus. She graduated from Cincinnati Wesleyan College.

Settlement houses

Dunlap earned an apprenticeship at the Kingsley Settlement House a year later. Following the apprenticeship, Dunlap went on to live in the Goodrich House in Cleveland, as well as the

Hull House Hull House was a settlement house in Chicago, Illinois, United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located on the Near West Side of the city, Hull House (named after the original house's first owner Cha ...

in Chicago. Dunlap found the widespread fame of the Hull House to be “…a stimulating, an absorbing, and a bewildering place in which to live and work.” However, she wished to work in a smaller city rather than staying in Chicago despite her love for Hull House. After Dunlap resigned her position at the Roadside Settlement House in September 1916, she headed the Neighborhood Guild House in Brooklyn, New York. Dunlap ultimately returned to the Roadside Settlement in 1918, where she maintained head resident until 1924.

Roadside Settlement

Jane Addams referred Dunlap to the Roadside Settlement in

, and Dunlap accepted the position of head resident in 1904. Dunlap had been offered to go to another house in the east, however Addams believed she would have more autonomy in the western area. The settlement was located in a commercial neighborhood, causing a decrease in clientele to serve. The settlement board voted to relocate the home to South Bottom near the Des Moines River. Dunlap oversaw the construction of this three-story brick building. The new home opened in 1906 and was regarded by Dunlap as one of her greatest achievements. As the Roadside house became open to the public, Dunlap established several programs including sewing and cooking classes, as well as manual training and literary clubs. Dunlap served as head resident of the Roadside Settlement House for two decades.

Elected office and activism

Board of Education

In 1912 Dunlap ran for the Des Moines school board. Her community involvement earned Dunlap the support of local women’s clubs who endorsed her candidacy and distributed her campaign advertisements in various local establishments. Dunlap won the election as the first woman to ever serve on the board. After three years of serving, Dunlap reported it was “the most unpleasant and most futile task” she had managed. Dunlap concluded the board was not ready for women and neglected to run for re-election after complaining none of the other male members would speak or listen to her opinions.

Iowa Equal Suffrage Association

During this same time period, Dunlap served as legislative chair of the Iowa Federation of Women’s Clubs. In 1913 Dunlap won the presidency of the Iowa Equal Suffrage Association. She held office for this position until 1916. During her three years of presidency, Dunlap took to the streets and visited 30 towns to hold educational open-air meetings. In 1916 Dunlap led a campaign in which an amendment to the state constitution was submitted to voters to allow women the right to vote. Dunlap was an active member of

Des Moines Women's Club The Des Moines Women's Club, founded in 1885 as the Woman's club movement in the United States, women's club movement swept through the United States, today serves the Des Moines community by providing scholarships, support for the local arts comm ...

from 1907 to 1926. In 1917 and 1918, Dunlap maintained the position of regional director of the girls division of the War Camp Community Service.

References

External links

Flora Dunlap Exemplary Preschool
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunlap, Flora Year of death missing People from Des Moines, Iowa American women's rights activists American social workers 1872 births