Ione Virginia Hill Cowles (, Hill; after marriage, Mrs. Josiah Evans Cowles; March 13, 1858 - July 4, 1940) was an American clubwoman and social leader. Cowles served as eighth international president of the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) from 1916 to 1918, and was then re-elected from 1918 to 1920. She preceded her executive work as head of the largest group of federated women in the U.S. by her experience gained as president of the California State Federation Women's Clubs from 1906 to 1907.

Biography

Ione Virginia Hill was born in

Carthage, Indiana Carthage is a town in Ripley Township, Rush County, Indiana, United States, located along the Big Blue River. The population was 927 at the 2010 census. History Carthage was platted in 1834. The town was named after Carthage, North Carolina. A ...

, March 13, 1858. She was the daughter of Thomas Clarkson Hill, a prominent

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

of Chicago, Illinois, and Adaline (Butler) Hill. Cowles was a student at Earlham College,

Richmond, Indiana Richmond is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County and is part of the Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 36,812. Situa ...

, 1875 (A.M., 1916). In 1890, in Chicago, she married Josiah Evans Cowles, M.D., of Los Angeles, California and they made that city their home. Cowles served as President of the California State Federation Women's Clubs, 1905-06. She was the Director, 1904–06; Treasurer, 1906–08; First Vice-president, 1908–12; and President, 1916-20, of the GFWC. She was also a member, Woman's Committee of the Council of National Defense. Cowles was identified with a number of prominent charities. In religion, she was

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

, and served as president of Women's Auxiliary Diocese of Los Angeles. Cowles died at her home in Los Angeles, July 4, 1940. Her papers are held in a collection by the General Federation of Women's Clubs, Washington, D.C.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowles, Ione Virginia Hill 1858 births 1940 deaths Clubwomen People from Rush County, Indiana Earlham College alumni People from Los Angeles Social leaders