Nationality American Occupation Activist | Name Cornelia Hatcher Died 1953 | |
Full Name Cornelia Templeton Jewett Born 1867 United States | ||
Cornelia Hatcher (1867–1953) was an American suffragette and temperance activist. In 2009, Hatcher was named to the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame.
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Early life and education
Cornelia Templeton Jewett was born in 1867. In 1909, she moved to Alaska. She attended the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition that year, too. In 1911, she married gold miner Robert Lee Hatcher. From 1912 until 1913 they lived in Knik, Alaska. Hatcher had one daughter.
Work
Hatcher wrote a petition demanding the right to vote for women. The petition was sent to the Alaskan Territorial Legislature. Women were allowed to vote in 1913. Hatcher was president of the Alaska chapter of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union from 1913 until 1924. She was editor of The Union Signal, a social welfare journal published by the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Hatcher led the fight for prohibition in Alaska. In 1916, she led a campaign against alcohol in the territory. It was voted on two to one and alcohol was banned in the territory. It started January 1, 1918. Alcohol was banned, and saloons and breweries closed throughout the territory.
Hatcher was critical in the passing of the Uniform School Act of 1917, in which she traveled to Washington, D.C. to testify about. This secured funding for schools in Alaska to be funded 75% from the Alaskan territorial government and 25% from taxes in the schools communities.
From 1924 until 1930 she lived in Long Beach, California. In Long Beach she ran her own beauty salon and participated in numerous women's organizations in the area. From 1930 until 1935 she worked in the women's division for Herbert Hoover's presidency.
Later life and legacy
In 2009, Hatcher was named to the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame. Hatchers personal papers reside in the collection of the Anchorage Museum.