Loraine Immen (, Pratt; August 3, 1840 – October 21, 1927) was an American philanthropist, elocutionist, author, and social leader. She was a life fellow of the

Society of Science, Letters and Art The Society of Science, Letters and Art, also known as the Society of Science or SSLA, was a ''soi-disant'' learned society which flourished between 1882 and 1902. Dr Edward Albert Sturman, M.A., F.R.S.L., owned and ran the Society for his own f ...

. Immen was one of the most active and best known clubwomen in Michigan. She was the inspiring prime mover and first president of the

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

City Federation of Women's Clubs.

Early life and education

Loraine Pratt was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan, August 3, 1840. Her mother's maiden name was Cook, and her ancestors were related to Captain

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

. Her father, E. G. Pratt, was a native of Massachusetts, who settled in Michigan in the pioneer days, making his home in Mount Clemens. He was conspicuous in every movement that had for its object the development of the community and the State. The two daughters of the Pratt family enjoyed the advantages of a thorough education.

Career

Loraine became a teacher at the age of fourteen years, and she succeeded well in the arduous work of the schoolroom. She taught in Mount Clemens until 1860. In 1860, she married Frederick Immen. They had two sons, one dying at the age of 20, and the other while an infant. She continued her studies after marriage, and in 1880, she was graduated and received the first honor in a senior class contest of the

National School of Elocution and Oratory National School of Elocution and Oratory (later, Shoemaker School of Speech and Drama) was an American school for speech arts, focused on rhetoric and elocution. It was established by Jacob and Rachel H. Shoemaker in Philadelphia, 1873. Attentio ...

in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Returning to her home, she gave a public reading in the Mount Clemens opera house, giving the proceeds of the entertainment for the beginning of a fund to purchase a town clock. Appearing as a lecturer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, her subject was "Paris," and the proceeds she gave to aid in erecting the soldier's monumental fountain in that city. Later, while in London, she gave readings and was made a life fellow of the Society of Science, Letters and Art. In Grand Rapids, Immen was the founder of the Shakespeare Club and was its president from the beginning. She was connected with the

St. Cecilia Society The St. Cecilia Society of Charleston, South Carolina, named for the traditional patron saint of music, was formed in 1766 as a private subscription concert organization. Over the next fifty-four years, its annual concert series formed the most ...

and the

Ladies' Literary Club The Ladies' Literary Club also known as Wednesday Literary Club was built as a social club building located at 61 Sheldon Street SE in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. As of 2019, the b ...

since their institution, and in 1890, she was president of the latter club, a society that numbered over 500 members at the time. The Ladies' Literary Club, in Grand Rapids, was a monument to Immen's enthusiasm, industry, and executive ability. In 1887, she and the other leaders of the club purchased a site for a clubhouse, and a building was finished and dedicated in January 1888. It became the center of intellectual activity among the women of Grand Rapids, focused on art, literature, history, science and education. Immen served as a director of the National Association of Elocutionists (1895). That year, during the founding of the Michigan State Federation of Women's Clubs, Immen was elected corresponding secretary. In 1896, when the Grand Rapids City Federation of Women's Clubs was founded, Immen was elected as its first president. She was also made honorary president of The Alsbice Club. Besides her work in literary, elocutionary and social lines, she was an earnest worker in the Sunday school.

Death and legacy

In her lifetime, Immen presented several gifts to the city of Grand Rapids including a bust of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in Fulton Park and a bust of Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln Place, as well as a drinking fountain in Monument Park and one in Fulton Park. Loraine Pratt Immen died on October 21, 1927. The Loraine Pratt Immen collection is held by the Grand Rapids Public Library's Grand Rapids History Center Repository.

Selected works

* ''Letters of Travel in California, in the Winter and Spring of 1896'', 189
(text)
* ''Timon of Athens'', 189
(text)
* ''Art's Tribute to Shakespeare'', 190
(text)
* ''Cordelia in Drama of King Lear'', 190
(text)
* ''Shakespeare: Casket Story (from Merchant of Venice)'', 191
(text)
* ''The Story of Park Congregational Church and Its Windows'', 191
(text)
* ''Shoemaker's Best Selections for Readings and Recitations, Issue 22'', 192
(text)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Immen, Loraine 1840 births 1927 deaths People from Mount Clemens, Michigan People from Grand Rapids, Michigan Philanthropists from Michigan Elocutionists Clubwomen 19th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 19th-century American women writers 20th-century American women writers Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century