Margaret Dye Ellis ( Dye; September 30, 1845 – July 13, 1925) was an American social reformer, lobbyist, and correspondent active in the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

. She served as Superintendent, Legislation, for the National

Woman'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 ...

(W.C.T.U.). in

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, ...

for 17 years, looking after reform measures in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

. Throughtout those years, she contributed to the W.C.T.U.'s organ, ''

The Union Signal ''The Union Signal'' (formerly, ''The Woman's Temperance Union'', ''Our Union'') is a defunct American newspaper, established in 1883 in Chicago, Illinois. Focused on temperance, it was the organ of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), a ...

'', a weekly, "Our Washington Letter". She favored

woman suffrage 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 ...

and was a social purity activist. Ellis, aided by local and State unions, helped greatly in securing the passage of many reform laws.

Early life and education

Margaret B. Dye was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, September 30, 1845. Her parents were Clarkson Dye (1909-1865) and Margaret (McLean) Dye (1816-1867). Her parents, who were members of the

American Anti-Slavery Society The American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS; 1833–1870) was an abolitionist society founded by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan. Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, had become a prominent abolitionist and was a key leader of this society ...

, were also associated with benevolent and philanthropic endeavors. Margaret had three older siblings, Lavinus, William and Elizabeth, as well as three younger siblings, Eliza, Mortimer, and Garrett. She was educated in the public schools of New York City and at the Van Norman Institute for Young Ladies (New York).

Career

It was in 1873 in

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for "Avenue (landscape), tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is primarily located on Alameda (island), Alam ...

that news of the temperance cause reached Ellis. Her home responsibilities kept her busy, her husband and children claiming all her attention. Aroused by the

Women's Crusade The Woman's Crusade was a temperance campaign in the United States in 1873-1874. It was a series of non-violent protests fighting against the dangers of alcoholism. Background Many women in Cleveland, Ohio were inspired by a speech given by Dio ...

news from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, the Alameda women of all denominations came together and united in a movement to bring about better conditions in that state. Returning to

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

in 1876, she identified herself with the W.C.T.U. of that state. She was appointed State Corresponding Secretary of the W.C.T.U. in 1880, filling that position until 1895. At Mt. Tabor, where Ellis made her first public lecture on the tempreance question in 1887, she was a familiar figure among the summer residents, as she was also in

Asbury Park Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

, having made many addresses at both places, especially during her years of service as New Jersey state secretary of the W.C.T.U. Margaret Dye Ellis (Protection of Native Races Against Intoxicants & Opium, 1900)

Margaret Dye Ellis (Protection of Native Races Against Intoxicants & Opium, 1900)

Frances Willard Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard (September 28, 1839 – February 17, 1898) was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist. Willard became the national president of Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1879 an ...

requested of Ellis that she undertake the legislative work in Washington, D.C.. When Ellis replied, "I am unequal to the task", Willard exclaimed, "Margaret, I will not listen to any refusal". Ellis arrived in Washington, D.C., in 1895, having been elected National W.C.T.U. superintendent of Legislation and appointed National W.C.T.U. Legislative representative. She retained that position for over twenty years. From the time of her first enlistment in the cause, and especially during her residence in New Jersey and Washington, Ellis did much service on the platform, taking part in numerous campaigns, assisting in the evangelistic movements of the W.C.T.U., and specializing on the legal features of the situation in each particular State. While serving as Legislative Superintendent, she attended the sessions of Congress and numerous committee meetings of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, where reform measures were under consideration, presenting petitions or filing remonstrances in connection with matters vital to the home and to the well-being of society. Ellis did much platform work, also, having spoken at

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua bro ...

s and conventions in nearly every state in the union. She wrote a weekly "Our Washington Letter" for the W.C.T.U.'s official organ, ''The Union Signal''. She was a member of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

(D.A.R.), Woman's Welfare Department of the Civic League, Consumers' League, and the Woman's Suffrage League. Margaret Dye Ellis (Women Torch-bearers, 1924)

In 1910, Ellis was a delegate to the World's W.C.T.U. convention in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland. In the following year, she was appointed by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

as one of the two women delegates to the Thirteenth International Congress on Alcoholism held 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 ...

, Holland, September 1911, an official certificate from the department of state making her a representative of this government. At the National W.C.T.U. convention held in 1918, Ellis made her 23, and final annual report. That year, she was succeeded by

Lenna Lowe Yost Lenna Lowe Yost (January 25, 1878 – May 6, 1972), president of the West Virginia Equal Suffrage Association (WVESA) during the state woman suffrage referendum campaign of 1916 and chairman of the WVESA Ratification Committee during the national ...

, of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. Ellis' retirement was precipitated by failing health; thereafter, she became an emeritus member of the W.C.T.U.

Personal life

In 1865, she married Jonathan T. Ellis (1834-1907), a merchant of New York, but a native of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. They had four children. After a long illness, she died in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.

Selected works

* ''The canteen : a summary of facts'', 190?
Text
* ''Constitution for the proposed state of New Mexico : statements of Hon. William J. Mills, governor of New Mexico, Hon. Henry W. Blair, Washington, D.C., Mrs. Margaret Dye Ellis, Washington, D.C., Hon. S.E. Nicholson, Washington, D.C. : February 17 and 19, 1911 by United States'', 1911

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Margaret Dye 1845 births 1925 deaths American temperance activists Woman's Christian Temperance Union people People from New York City Daughters of the American Revolution people American suffragists 19th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 19th-century American women writers 20th-century American women writers American columnists American women columnists American lobbyists American social reformers American newspaper reporters and correspondents