Grace Garrett Durand (August 25, 1867 – February 26, 1948) was an American

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 part ...

, business owner, and

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 ...

activist.

Early life

Grace Denise Garrett was born in

Burlington, Iowa Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,982 in the 2020 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in 2000. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area, which includes ...

, the daughter of William Garrett and Martha Rorer Garrett.John William Leonard, ed.
''Woman's Who's Who of America''
(American Commonwealth Publishing 1914): 263. She went to school at St. Mary's in Knoxville, Illinois.

Career

In 1904 Grace Durand began running a model dairy, Crab Tree Farm, in

Lake Forest, Illinois Lake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 19,367. The city is along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest ...

, to sell good quality local milk to Chicagoans, and to support her other projects, such as a kindergarten for children in Chicago's tenements. The farm was relocated to

Lake Bluff, Illinois Lake Bluff is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 5,616. History The first settler family to claim land within the area now part of Lake Bluff arrived in 1836. They claimed 100 acres of ...

in 1906. "I have not entirely given up society for my dairy," Durand explained, "but the work is so interesting that I cannot look upon the time and effort given to it as any sacrifice." Several of the buildings on the farm were lost by fire in 1910. She rebuilt the barns with help from architect Solon Spencer Beman.History of Crab Tree Farm
Crab Tree Farm website. In 1915, her herd of Guernsey cows was destroyed by government officials because they were suspected of carrying foot and mouth disease. She sued for $100,000 in damages. She lectured at farmers' institutes across the American midwest on her methods and experiences in dairy work, and patented a design for milk jugs. Grace Durand was the first woman elected to serve on the board of education in Lake Forest, Illinois. She was a member of the Lake Forest Golf Club, and president of the Lake Bluff chapter of the

Women'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 ...

. She wrote a book, ''Consider'', opposing the repeal of Prohibition. Her temperance work was much remarked upon when her husband was accused of participating in a "rum ring" and indicted in 1933.

Personal life

Grace Garrett married wealthy sugar broker Scott Sloan Durand in 1894. They adopted two children. Their son Jackson G. "Jack" Durand was convicted of robbing the home of F. Edson White in 1926, and served a prison sentence. The Durands traveled around the world, even visiting

Tristan da Cunha Tristan da Cunha (), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying approximately from Cape Town in South Africa, from Saint Helena ...

in 1935. Grace died in 1948, aged 80 years. She donated woven and embroidered shawls from India to the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

.Long Shawl
Art Institute of Chicago. Crab Tree Farm remains a working farm near Lake Bluff today.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Durand, Grace 1867 births 1948 deaths People from Lake Forest, Illinois People from Burlington, Iowa Clubwomen