Ellen Pearl Farmer Richardson (July 25, 1891 – May 9, 1980) was an American

clubwoman The woman's club movement was a social movement that took place throughout the United States that established the idea that women had a moral duty and responsibility to transform public policy. While women's organizations had always been a part ...

and pacifist. She worked on the Speakers Research Committee of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

, and represented the

General Federation of Women's Clubs The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of over 3,000 women's clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Many of its activities ...

as an observer at the United Nations.

Early life and education

Pearl Farmer was from

Pratt, Kansas Pratt is a city in and the county seat of Pratt County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,603. It is home to Pratt Community College. History 19th century Pratt was founded in 1884 and named after ...

, the daughter of James Wilson Farmer and Sarah Elizabeth Jackson Farmer. Her mother was active in church work and was "chairman of the knitting department of the local Red Cross" during

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 ...

Career

Richardson began women's clubwork in the 1910s, as president of the Pratt Council of Clubs in Kansas. In the 1920s she started the 75ers Dinner, an annual dinner for Pratt County residents aged 75 or over; this tradition continued for at least 76 years. In 1939 she attended the meeting of the Committee on the Cause and Cure for War 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, ...

and was one of the International Building's hostesses at the New York World's Fair. In 1944, she was war service chair for the Kansas Federation of Women's Clubs. Beginning in 1945, when she witnessed the signing of the

UN charter The Charter of the United Nations (UN) is the foundational treaty of the UN, an intergovernmental organization. It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the UN system, including its six principal organs: the ...

in San Francisco, Richardson represented the

as an observer at the United Nations, and served on the Speakers Research Committee of the UN. She spoke about the United Nations to community groups, especially church and women's groups, and wrote about its goals and structures. "It is not enough to hope that the United Nations succeeds," she said in a typical speech, in Kansas in 1954. "To make it work, people must do something about it." Richardson served on the publicity committee of the National Board of the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

, and was a consultant on world relations to the United Church Women of the

National Council of Churches The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, usually identified as the National Council of Churches (NCC), is the largest ecumenical body in the United States. NCC is an ecumenical partnership of 38 Christian faith groups in the Uni ...

. She was a member of the advisory committee to the

White House Conference on Children and Youth The White House Conference on Children and Youth was a series of meetings hosted over 60 years by the President of the United States of America, and the first White House conference ever held. Under the leadership of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, ...

. She was also a member of the

National Aeronautical Association The National Aeronautic Association of the United States (NAA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and a founding member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Founded in 1905, it is the oldest national aviation club in the Un ...

and the

National Federation of Press Women The National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) is a United States-based organization of professional women and men pursuing careers in the field of communications, including electronic, broadcast and print journalism, public relations, marketing, adv ...

, among other affiliations. She taught world affairs at a girls' camp in

Elmdale, Kansas Elmdale is a city in Chase County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 40. It is located along U.S. Route 50 highway. History In 1806, Zebulon Pike led the Pike Expedition westward from St Louis, M ...

for three summers.

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

wrote one of her "My Day" newspaper columns about Richardson's pamphlet, ''Your Community United Nations'', in 1957. In 1958, she was named one of fifty prominent Kansas women by the Women's Kansas Day Club.

Publications

* "We The Peoples: Community Fact Finders" (1952) * ''Your Community United Nations'' (1957)

Personal life

Pearl Farmer married railroad engineer Howard Moses Richardson in 1912. They had a daughter, Maxine. Her husband died in 1944, and she died in 1980, at the age of 88, in Pratt, Kansas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Pearl Farmer 1891 births 1980 deaths People from Pratt, Kansas Clubwomen 20th-century American women writers