Lola Maverick Lloyd (November 24, 1875 – July 25, 1944) was an American

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

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

world federalist The World Federalist Movement advocates strong democratic institutions adhering to the principles of subsidiarity, solidarity and democracy. The movement formed in the 1930s and 1940s by citizens groups concerned that the structure of the new ...

and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. Born in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

to the wealthy

Maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Burea ...

family, Lola Maverick married

William Bross Lloyd William Bross Lloyd (February 24, 1875 – June 30, 1946) was an American attorney and political activist. The oldest son of the muckraking journalist Henry Demarest Lloyd and Jessie Bross, daughter of ''Chicago Tribune'' founder William B ...

, the son of

muckraking The muckrakers were reform-minded journalists, writers, and photographers in the Progressive Era in the United States (1890s–1920s) who claimed to expose corruption and wrongdoing in established institutions, often through sensationalist publ ...

journalist

Henry Demarest Lloyd Henry Demarest Lloyd (May 1, 1847 – September 28, 1903) was a 19th-century American progressive political activist and pioneer muckraking journalist. He is best remembered for his exposés of the Standard Oil Company, which were written before ...

. Together, they leveraged their family's influence and wealth to support

Progressive Era The Progressive Era (late 1890s – late 1910s) was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States focused on defeating corruption, monopoly, waste and inefficiency. The main themes ended during Am ...

causes. Following a public and contentious divorce, Lola Maverick Lloyd dedicated the rest of her life to supporting pacifism. She worked to establish the Woman's Peace Party and

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is a non-profit non-governmental organization working "to bring together women of different political views and philosophical and religious backgrounds determined to study and make kno ...

in 1915. Lloyd co-founded the Campaign for World Government in 1937, the first organizational attempt at a

world government World government is the concept of a single political authority with jurisdiction over all humanity. It is conceived in a variety of forms, from tyrannical to democratic, which reflects its wide array of proponents and detractors. A world gove ...

and world federalism, with close friend

Rosika Schwimmer Rosika Schwimmer ( hu, Schwimmer Rózsa; 11 September 1877 – 3 August 1948) was a Hungarian-born pacifist, feminist, world federalist, and women's suffragist. A co-founder of the Campaign for World Government with Lola Maverick Lloyd, her ra ...

Biography

Early life

Lola Maverick was born on November 24, 1875 in

Castroville, Texas Castroville is a city in Medina County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,680 at the 2010 census. Prior to 1893, Castroville was the first county seat of Medina County. Castroville was founded by Alsatian-Texans who were mostly Germanic ...

to lawyer George Madison Maverick and Mary Elizabeth Vance, an Episcopalian. Lola was one of six children; her sister Rena Maverick Green would become a prominent citizen of

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

. She was the granddaughter of

Samuel Maverick Samuel Augustus Maverick (July 23, 1803 – September 2, 1870) was a Texas lawyer, politician, land baron and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. His name is the source of the term "maverick," first cited in 1867, which means "indepe ...

, a politician and land baron who was a signer of the

Texas Declaration of Independence The Texas Declaration of Independence was the formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas Revolution. It was adopted at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836, and was formal ...

. He also served as

mayor of San Antonio The following is a list of mayors of San Antonio, Texas. San Antonio operates under a council–manager form of government.Kriston CappsWhy Julián Castro's Record as Mayor of San Antonio Doesn't Necessarily Tell Us Much About His Future at HUD ...

and is the origin of the term "maverick" to refer to an independent-minded person. His wife Mary Maverick was also an important early Texan. Lola Maverick was raised in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

and attended the

Mary Institute Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

. After graduation, she attended

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

, a women's liberal arts college in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, graduating in 1897. She began a career in education, eventually returning to Smith College to teach mathematics in 1901. The Wayside

During a trip to

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

to visit a friend in 1898, Maverick met

, the eldest son of

journalist

. Lloyd was studying law at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

and shared Maverick's progressive ideals. Maverick and Lloyd would meet again in Rhode Island in 1899 and 1901. They were married in San Antonio in 1902, the year Lloyd graduated. The newlyweds embarked on a cross-country camping trip from San Antonio to Winnetka,

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 ...

. In spring 1903, they built a small cottage they called Half Wayside across the street from Henry Demarest Lloyd's house,

The Wayside The Wayside is a historic house in Concord, Massachusetts. The earliest part of the home may date to 1717. Later it successively became the home of the young Louisa May Alcott and her family, who named it Hillside, author Nathaniel Hawthorne and ...

. Henry Demarest and Jessie Bross Lloyd died in 1903 and 1904, respectively, and William Lloyd inherited The Wayside. Maverick and Lloyd had their first child, Jessie, in February 1904, and a second daughter, Mary, in June 1906. Their first son Bill was born in September 1908. William practiced some law in Chicago and was nominally a director of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', but worked infrequently, spending most of his time at home with Lola. They built a small vacation home on the Maverick family property in

Bexar County, Texas Bexar County ( or ; es, Béxar ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324. Bexar County is included in the San Antonio–New Bra ...

Pacifist causes

Following the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Lola attended a lecture by Hungarian pacifist

. Schwimmer was touring the country in an effort to increase American interests in finding a peaceful solution to the war. Lloyd followed Schwimmer to over a dozen more events. Lloyd was one of the delegates that founded the

Woman's Peace Party The Woman's Peace Party (WPP) was an American pacifist and feminist organization formally established in January 1915 in response to World War I. The organization is remembered as the first American peace organization to make use of direct action ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in January 1915. Lola then traveled to Europe with forty-seven other women that April for the International Congress of Women at

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

. After the congress, she returned to Chicago to help organize

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...

Peace Ship The Peace Ship was the common name for the ocean liner ''Oscar II'', on which American industrialist Henry Ford organized and launched his 1915 amateur peace mission to Europe; Ford chartered the ''Oscar II'' and invited prominent peace activists t ...

, an unsuccessful effort to force a peace conference to mediate an end to the war. She was a member of the "Committee of Seven" overseeing the resulting

Neutral Conference for Continuous Mediation The Peace Ship was the common name for the ocean liner ''Oscar II'', on which American industrialist Henry Ford organized and launched his 1915 amateur peace mission to Europe; Ford chartered the ''Oscar II'' and invited prominent peace activists t ...

Private Life

Starting in 1913, the Maverick and Lloyd marriage began to crumble. Lola struggled with complications from the birth of her fourth child, Georgia. She also lost her father that year, with whom she was very close. Lola's pacifist interests, especially her international trip to The Hague, contributed to the deterioration of the marriage. William and Lola continued to fight, until 1916, when William Lloyd left the family to spend a month in California under suspicious circumstances. Lola filed for divorce, still a rarity at the time, on the grounds of adultery. Because of the wealth and social prominence of the two families, the proceedings became a public spectacle. Lola was awarded primary custody of her four children. Lloyd wanted to bring the children with her to Texas, but the court ordered that she must remain in the Chicago area so that William could maintain visitation rights. In March 1920, she bought three lots in downtown Winnetka and had the

Lola Maverick Lloyd House The Lola Maverick Lloyd House is a historic house at 455 Birch Street in Winnetka, Illinois, Winnetka, Illinois. The house was built in 1920 for pacifist and feminist activist Lola Maverick Lloyd and her four children. At the time, Lloyd had rece ...

built. In her precious spare time, Lloyd practiced painting, drawing, and sculpture, and these elements were reflected in the Arts & Crafts design of her house.

Post-War Activities

Lloyd continued to pursue her ideals after the conclusion of World War I. In 1918, she began renting an office in downtown Chicago so that her ideological friends could have a place to work and stay. Lola joined the

National Woman's Party The National Woman's Party (NWP) was an American women's political organization formed in 1916 to fight for women's suffrage. After achieving this goal with the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the NW ...

to push for women's suffrage. Lloyd was a member of the Socialist Party of Illinois and became a member of the Women's Committee for the Recognition of Soviet Russia in 1920. She regularly published pamphlets and commentaries on behalf of the Woman's Peace Party, then known as the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). In 1926, with three of her four children graduated and out of the house, Lloyd moved to

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

to work more closely with the WILPF. She was elected to the board of WILPF in 1933. In 1937, she co-founded the Campaign for World Government with Mary, Bill, Georgia, and Rosika Schwimmer. The organization was the first organisation to call for world federalism and a

in the wake of the floundering

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

. It sought a democratic government by the people, instead of one led by the world leaders that Lloyd determined to be war-makers. Later in the 20th century, the federalist movement have led the coalition for the creation of the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals ...

,Article Title
page 6 which Lloyd rarely gets credit for.

Death

By 1939, Lloyd's health was failing. She suffered from migraine headaches which would keep her in bed for days at a time. She moved back to her Winnetka house full-time with her daughter Mary. Lola Maverick Lloyd died of complications from

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

on July 25, 1944 at the age of 68. Jessie Lloyd spoke the eulogy at her memorial service and believed that the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

undermined her health.

References

External links

Lola Maverick Lloyd papers
at the

Sophia Smith Collection The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history. General One of the largest recognized repositories of manuscripts, ar ...

, Smith College Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Lloyd, Lola Maverick 1875 births 1944 deaths American pacifists American political writers American socialists Deaths from cancer in Illinois Deaths from pancreatic cancer Nonviolence advocates People from Medina County, Texas People from Winnetka, Illinois Progressive Era in the United States American socialist feminists Smith College alumni American suffragists Women's International League for Peace and Freedom people Activists from Illinois Activists from Texas Writers from Illinois Writers from Texas Pacifist feminists