Florence Bayard Hilles (1865–1954) was an American suffragist and a member of the prominent

Bayard family The Bayard family has been a prominent family of lawyers and politicians throughout American history, primarily from Wilmington, Delaware. Beginning as Federalists, they joined the party of Andrew Jackson and remained leaders of the Democratic ...

. She was one of the founders of 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 NWP ...

Biography

Hilles was born in 1865, the daughter of Thomas Francis Bayard, a member of the politically prominent

. She was a munitions worker in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and worked for a time in France following the war's end. After hearing

Mabel Vernon Mabel Vernon (September 19, 1883 – September 2, 1975) was an American suffragist, pacifist, and a national leader in the United States suffrage movement. She was a Quaker and a member of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Verno ...

speak at the

Delaware State Fair The Delaware State Fair is the annual state fair for the U.S. state of Delaware. It is held in Harrington. The fair is a ten-day event at the end of July. History The first Delaware State Fair was held in Wilmington, with mentions of the "D ...

in 1913, she joined the suffrage movement. In 1914, Hilles was voted to be the head of the Delaware

Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage The Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage was an American organization formed in 1913 led by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns to campaign for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women's suffrage. It was inspired by the United Kingdom's suffrage ...

chapter. During her presidency, division between the Congressional Union and the Delaware Equal Suffrage Association emerged. That year she organized the first parade advocating for women's suffrage in Delaware. Held on May 2 in Wilmington, in conjunction with other parades across the nation, it had over 400 attendees. On a 1916 suffrage tour, she was the principal speaker, and in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

scattered flyers from a seaplane. In 1917, she was elected to the national board of the National Woman's party. Hilles served as a Silent Sentinel, picketing the White House, leading women in a "Grand Picket" on March 4, 1917. She was the chairwoman of the Delaware branch of the National Woman's Party. The White House picket continued into July. Sixteen women, including Hilles,

Annie Arniel Annie Arniel (May 1873 – February 9, 1924) was a suffragist and women's rights advocate. Born in Harrington, Delaware as Anna L. Melvin, she married George Arniel of Canada and was widowed in 1910. Annie played a key role in helping to win the ...

, and Dora Lewis, were arrested on July 14, 1917 and sent to Occoquan Virginia Workhouse. In 1919, she was prominent at the "Watchfire demonstrations". An advocate of the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, United States Constitution that would explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. It is not currently a part of the Constitution, though its Ratifi ...

, she was viewed as one of the most prominent supporters of the amendment. From 1933-1936, she served as the National Chairman of the National Woman's Party. She married William S. Hilles, a lawyer. The Sewall–Belmont House and Museum's library, the Florence Bayard Hilles Research Library (also the oldest Feminist library in the United States) was founded by her. Hilles died in 1954. In ''Votes for Delaware Women'', scholar Anne M. Boylan describes Hilles as "perhaps the most visible of Delaware's" militant suffragettes.

Personal life

She married William S. Hilles, a lawyer. Her brother, Thomas F. Bayard Jr., was a US Senator and advocate against women's suffrage.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilles, Florence Bayard 1865 births 1954 deaths National Woman's Party activists Suffragists from Delaware