Charlotte odlum smith
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Odlum Smith was a reformer, magazine editor, champion of women inventors, and lobbyist for working women, public health
, and safety in the nineteenth-century United States
.
in Upstate New York
, in 1840. She was the oldest child of Irish immigrants, Richard Odlum and his wife Catherine. Richard is listed as "engaged in agriculture" in the 1840 census. After a difficult childhood (three siblings dying as infants, father soon absent, mother supporting Charlotte and her three surviving brothers by keeping boarders, frequent moves interrupting her education), she became the "man of the family" after Richard's death in the mid-1850s. During this period the Odlums traveled to New Orleans, then to New York City
, Boston
, Detroit, Cleveland, and Montreal
, Canada
. These journeys were made partly in search of medical care for Catherine Odlum, who was suffering from a diseased tooth.
Before she was twenty, Charlotte was running her own shop in St. Louis, Missouri
, while her mother ran a boardinghouse. In 1860 Charlotte, her mother and two of her brothers traveled to Cuba
, returning to New Orleans from Havana
on March 21, 1861, the same day Louisiana
ratified the Confederate Constitution. When Charlotte's brother David enlisted under-age in the Civil War
, the family tried to bring him back, but were trapped in occupied Memphis, Tennessee
for the rest of the conflict. David, serving under the name "Charles Rogers" in the 8th Missouri Volunteer Infantry
, disappeared after the Battle of Shiloh
; it was never known whether he had been killed, captured or had deserted. Charlotte, however, ran the Union blockade across the Ohio River
, and evidently made thousands of dollars doing so. At the same time, she and her mother were providing milk, butter, and nursing services to Union
soldiers in Memphis. On April 4, 1864, the Odlums' house in Memphis was torn down by Union troops to clear an artillery firing path.
After the war, the family went to Mobile, Alabama
, where Charlotte opened an enormously profitable dry goods
store, and Catherine ran multiple boardinghouses. Here, Charlotte met and eventually married Edward Smith, an Irish-born merchant. The marriage failed, and almost immediately after the birth of her second son, Charlotte moved to Chicago. The bookstore she started there was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1871
, and she fled with her children to St. Louis, where she published a book on the Fire, and was soon doing newspaper work.
at that early era. She became particularly interested in the problems of prostitutes and women inventors, and resolved to try to advance their causes at the nation's capital. Swiftly obtaining the ear of Senator Henry W. Blair
of New Hampshire
, partly by her undercover research into working conditions for women and girls, she became a formidable lobbyist for her causes. She also founded a union of female federal clerks, called the Women's Nation Industrial League, brought it into the Knights of Labor
, and spoke at labor conventions, sometimes as the only female delegate. In 1886 she founded her second periodical, the Working Woman. This was far more radical, and less successful, than the Inland Monthly. Very few issues survive.
On May 19, 1885, Charlotte Smith's brother, Robert Emmet Odlum
, was killed jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge
. Charlotte visited New York on May 28 and spoke to Coroner
William H. Kennedy, who denied responsibility for removing Odlum's heart and liver.
By the early 1890s Charlotte Smith was already credited with gaining or helping to gain passage of more than fifty bills through Congress
, as well as gathering data used in Senator Blair's Committee on Education and Labor, and becoming the foremost authority on working conditions for women and girls. Notable among her successful causes were Chinese Exclusion
legislation and laws against the adulteration of foods, cosmetics, and medicines. She was partly responsible for the listing of ingredients on product labels.
's enabling role in Christopher Columbus
's discoveries, and for women inventors. In 1892 she founded a third periodical, the Woman Inventor, and crusaded for a permanent exhibition of women's inventive work in Washington, D.C. Her major achievement for women inventors, however, was persuading the United States Patent Office to issue a list of all female holders of U.S. patents to that date (1883).
In addition to working through legislatures and organizations, Charlotte Smith also took direct action, personally helping many poor women and "underdogs," and providing housing for poor working girls with her own money. During these years (1880s - early 1890s), she was one of the best-known women in America, with literally hundreds of articles appearing about her in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and smaller newspapers as far away as Montana
and Hawaii
.
The last chapter of Smith's life took place in Boston, Massachusetts
, where she continued to work for her main cause, the welfare and advancement of working women, in the legislatures of Massachusetts and Maryland
, as well as in Congress. Her fame diminished in her last years, and when she died in Boston in 1917, she was buried in a pauper's grave.
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
, and safety in the nineteenth-century United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Birth and Early Life
Charlotte Smith was born Charlotte Odlum in or near the village of WaddingtonWaddington (village), New York
Waddington is a village located in the Town of Waddington in St. Lawrence County, New York. The population was 923 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Joshua Waddington....
in Upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
, in 1840. She was the oldest child of Irish immigrants, Richard Odlum and his wife Catherine. Richard is listed as "engaged in agriculture" in the 1840 census. After a difficult childhood (three siblings dying as infants, father soon absent, mother supporting Charlotte and her three surviving brothers by keeping boarders, frequent moves interrupting her education), she became the "man of the family" after Richard's death in the mid-1850s. During this period the Odlums traveled to New Orleans, then to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Detroit, Cleveland, and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. These journeys were made partly in search of medical care for Catherine Odlum, who was suffering from a diseased tooth.
Before she was twenty, Charlotte was running her own shop in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, while her mother ran a boardinghouse. In 1860 Charlotte, her mother and two of her brothers traveled to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, returning to New Orleans from Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
on March 21, 1861, the same day Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
ratified the Confederate Constitution. When Charlotte's brother David enlisted under-age in the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the family tried to bring him back, but were trapped in occupied Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
for the rest of the conflict. David, serving under the name "Charles Rogers" in the 8th Missouri Volunteer Infantry
8th Missouri Volunteer Infantry
The 8th Missouri Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union army during the American Civil War. Among its early leaders were Morgan Lewis Smith and Giles Alexander Smith, both of whom later became generals....
, disappeared after the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
; it was never known whether he had been killed, captured or had deserted. Charlotte, however, ran the Union blockade across the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
, and evidently made thousands of dollars doing so. At the same time, she and her mother were providing milk, butter, and nursing services to Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
soldiers in Memphis. On April 4, 1864, the Odlums' house in Memphis was torn down by Union troops to clear an artillery firing path.
After the war, the family went to Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, where Charlotte opened an enormously profitable dry goods
Dry goods
Dry goods are products such as textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and sundries. In U.S. retailing, a dry goods store carries consumer goods that are distinct from those carried by hardware stores and grocery stores, though "dry goods" as a term for textiles has been dated back to 1742 in England or...
store, and Catherine ran multiple boardinghouses. Here, Charlotte met and eventually married Edward Smith, an Irish-born merchant. The marriage failed, and almost immediately after the birth of her second son, Charlotte moved to Chicago. The bookstore she started there was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1871
Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S...
, and she fled with her children to St. Louis, where she published a book on the Fire, and was soon doing newspaper work.
Smith as Editor
By 1873, with another Catholic businesswoman, Mary Nolan, she started her first magazine, the Inland Monthly. This publication was noteworthy in several ways: edited by a woman, but not a woman's magazine, containing unusual amounts of science but virtually nothing about suffrage, and aiming with fiction, poetry, and essays at educated readers in general. It ran until 1878, when Smith sold it for a large sum and headed for Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Smith as Lobbyist for Working Women
While in St. Louis, Smith had been awakened to the woes of the poor, including underpaid workers. She also saw the economic disadvantages of women in particular, and began calling for equal pay for equal workEqual pay for equal work
Equal pay for equal work is the concept that individuals doing the same work should receive the same remuneration. In America, for example, the law states that "employers may not pay unequal wages to men and women who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort and responsibility,...
at that early era. She became particularly interested in the problems of prostitutes and women inventors, and resolved to try to advance their causes at the nation's capital. Swiftly obtaining the ear of Senator Henry W. Blair
Henry W. Blair
Henry William Blair was a United States Representative and Senator from New Hampshire. Born in Campton, he attended the common schools and private academies, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1859 and commenced practice in Plymouth...
of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, partly by her undercover research into working conditions for women and girls, she became a formidable lobbyist for her causes. She also founded a union of female federal clerks, called the Women's Nation Industrial League, brought it into the Knights of Labor
Knights of Labor
The Knights of Labor was the largest and one of the most important American labor organizations of the 1880s. Its most important leader was Terence Powderly...
, and spoke at labor conventions, sometimes as the only female delegate. In 1886 she founded her second periodical, the Working Woman. This was far more radical, and less successful, than the Inland Monthly. Very few issues survive.
On May 19, 1885, Charlotte Smith's brother, Robert Emmet Odlum
Robert Emmet Odlum
Robert Emmet Odlum was an American swimming instructor. He was the brother of women's rights activist Charlotte Odlum Smith. Odlum was the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, and was killed doing so.- Early life :...
, was killed jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
. Charlotte visited New York on May 28 and spoke to Coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
William H. Kennedy, who denied responsibility for removing Odlum's heart and liver.
By the early 1890s Charlotte Smith was already credited with gaining or helping to gain passage of more than fifty bills through Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, as well as gathering data used in Senator Blair's Committee on Education and Labor, and becoming the foremost authority on working conditions for women and girls. Notable among her successful causes were Chinese Exclusion
Chinese Exclusion
Chinese Exclusion refers to a body of racially discriminatory immigration policies first set up in the United States, but later imitated by Australia and Canada ....
legislation and laws against the adulteration of foods, cosmetics, and medicines. She was partly responsible for the listing of ingredients on product labels.
Smith and Female Inventors
Smith also became involved in the fight to win more of a role for women in the great World's Columbian Exposition of 1892-3. Specifically, she fought for more recognition of Queen IsabellaIsabella I of Castile
Isabella I was Queen of Castile and León. She and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon brought stability to both kingdoms that became the basis for the unification of Spain. Later the two laid the foundations for the political unification of Spain under their grandson, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor...
's enabling role in Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
's discoveries, and for women inventors. In 1892 she founded a third periodical, the Woman Inventor, and crusaded for a permanent exhibition of women's inventive work in Washington, D.C. Her major achievement for women inventors, however, was persuading the United States Patent Office to issue a list of all female holders of U.S. patents to that date (1883).
In addition to working through legislatures and organizations, Charlotte Smith also took direct action, personally helping many poor women and "underdogs," and providing housing for poor working girls with her own money. During these years (1880s - early 1890s), she was one of the best-known women in America, with literally hundreds of articles appearing about her in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and smaller newspapers as far away as Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
The last chapter of Smith's life took place in Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, where she continued to work for her main cause, the welfare and advancement of working women, in the legislatures of Massachusetts and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, as well as in Congress. Her fame diminished in her last years, and when she died in Boston in 1917, she was buried in a pauper's grave.