Pérola Ellis Byington (3 December 1879 – 6 November 1963) was a Brazilian philanthropist and social activist. She was an advocate for mother and children's health assistance in Brazil during the first half of 20th century.

Early life

On 3 December 1879, Byington was born as Pearl Ellis McIntyre in

Santa Bárbara d'Oeste Santa Bárbara d'Oeste is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the São Paulo (state), State of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Campinas. It lies about northwest of the State capital. It occupies an area of ...

, São Paulo, Brazil. Byington's parents were Mary Elisabeth Ellis and Robert Dickson McIntyre, American Confederado immigrants who settled in

. She adopted the Portuguese form of her name (Pérola) and in 1894 when Pérola was fourteen years old, she completed the preparation for the Normal School, but was not admitted because the minimum age requirement was sixteen years old.

Education

Byington received private lessons in education, except Latin, which she took at a boys' school, where Pérola had to hide behind a folding screen so as not to attract the attention of the teacher and the boys. In 1897, Pérola took the entrance exams for the annex course of the Law Academy of São Paulo. She didn't pass the geography test and neither was well received by the academics, who did not want to admit women. In 1899, at the age of 19, Byington finished the normal course.

Career

During the First World War, Byington was in the United States, where she was responsible for a section of the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

. Upon returning to Brazil, she continued participating in philanthropic activities. From the 1930s, Byington alongside the teacher Maria Antonieta de Castro led a campaign to combat

child mortality Child mortality is the death of children under the age of five. The child mortality rate (also under-five mortality rate) refers to the probability of dying between birth and exactly five years of age expressed per 1,000 live births. It encompa ...

, called "Cruzada Pró-Infância", (''Crusade for Childhood)'' a task which she held for 33 years. She also dedicated herself to several other programs in defense of the disadvantaged, especially children, having been awarded several commendations of merit.

Personal life

On 4 July 1901, Byington married Albert Jackson Byington, an electrical engineer who imported the first electric motor to Brazil. They had two children. On 6 November 1963, Byington died in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, New York, United States.

Legacy

In her honor, a hospital dedicated to women's health in São Paulo is named after her. Pérola, a municipality of the state of

Paraná Paraná, Paranã or Parana may refer to: Geology * Paraná Basin, a sedimentary basin in South America Places In Argentina *Paraná, Entre Ríos, a city * Paraná Department, a part of Entre Ríos Province In Brazil *Paraná (state), a state ...

, was named after her; Alberto Byington Júnior, Pérola's son, was one of the partners of the Companhia Byington de Colonização Ltda., the company that bought land and settled in the region. Byington is the great-grandmother of actress Bianca Byington and singer Olivia Byington. She is also the great-great-grandmother of the actor Gregório Duvivier.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byington, Pérola 1879 births 1963 deaths People from Santa Bárbara d'Oeste Brazilian people of American descent Brazilian philanthropists Brazilian women philanthropists Byington–Duvivier family