Mary Elizabeth Harris Armor (''sometimes spelled Armour''; March 9, 1863 – November 6, 1950) was an American temperance leader. She was the state president of the

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 ...

(WCTU) and is often credited for the passing of prohibition legislature in Georgia.

Personal life

Mary Elizabeth Harris was born on March 9, 1863 in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

to physician William Harris. She married Walter Florence Armor in August 1883.

Career

Armor often used the women's suffrage movement to advocate for prohibition in Georgia. Between 1903 and 1915, while serving in state and national offices with the WCTU, she lobbied for Congress to "protect women and children especially through prohibition legislation." As a result, Armor is often credited for the passing of prohibition legislation in Georgia. Upon the passing of a State-wide prohibition law in 1907, the newspaper

Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the Atlanta metropolitan area, metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Con ...

described her as the voice "that aroused the Christian conscience of the State and put it on the march." She predicted that "brewery stock in this country will not be worth as much as Confederate money was in 1865." Armor was often nicknamed the "Georgia Cyclone." She lectured and campaigned across the United States for the prohibition cause. Her speeches were so moving she was sometimes referred to as "the Joan of Arc of the temperance movement." In one instance, she raised $7,000 for WCTU in one night through an empowering speech. As a result of her campaigning, Armor was the recipient of an honorary law degree from

Wesleyan College Wesleyan College is a private, liberal arts women's college in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1836, Wesleyan was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women. History The school was chartered on December 23, 1836, as the Geo ...

in 1918. During the 1920s, she travelled to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

to promote prohibition. The president of the

Women's Christian Temperance Union New Zealand Women's Christian Temperance Union of New Zealand (WCTU NZ) is a non-partisan, non-denominational, and non-profit organization that is the oldest continuously active national organisation of women in New Zealand. The national organization began ...

(WCTU NZ),

Rachel Hull Don Rachel Don ( Hull; 23 July 1866 – 4 September 1941) was an accredited Methodist local preacher who became a local and national leader in the Women's Christian Temperance Union New Zealand (WCTU NZ), serving as president from 1914 to 1926. Unde ...

, organised a great welcome upon Dr. Armor's arrival in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

on 25 August 1922. Together with other clubs, the WCTU NZ organised parties and receptions as well as a formal introduction to the Prime Minister. She coined a slogan, sung to the popular tune of "

Bringing in the Sheaves "Bringing in the Sheaves" is a popular American Gospel song used almost exclusively by Protestant Christians (though the content is not specifically Protestant in nature). The lyrics were written in 1874 by Knowles Shaw, who was inspired by Psal ...

," that was sung by many New Zealanders as they campaigned for prohibition that year: :New Zealand's going dry!
:New Zealand's going dry!
:Pass along the watchword,
:New Zealand’s going dry!
:New Zealand’s going dry!
:New Zealand's going dry!
:Glory Hallelujah!
:New Zealand’s going dry! As part of her movement, Armor asked Fred Loring Seely of ''

The Atlanta Georgian ''The Atlanta Georgian'' was an American daily afternoon newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. History Founded by New Jersey native Fred Loring Seely, the first issue was April 25, 1906, with editor John Temple Graves. They mainly cri ...

'' to allow the WCTU to publish in his newspapers. He refused as his newspaper was presenting the prohibition as an assertion of masculinity. Upon the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, she joined the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. Armor died on November 5, 1950.

References

External links

Find a Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris Armor, Mary 1863 births 1950 deaths American suffragists Georgia (U.S. state) Prohibitionists Woman's Christian Temperance Union people American lobbyists People born in the Confederate States