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Paulina Kellogg Wright DavisAmerican abolitionist, suffragist and educator
Date of Birth: 07.08.1813
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis
Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis was born on August 7, 1813, in Bloomfield, New York, to Ebenezer Kellogg and Polly Saxton. Her family moved near the Niagara Falls in 1817. After the death of both her parents, Paulina began living with her aunt, a devout Presbyterian, in Le Roy, New York. Despite facing hostility at church, she developed a desire to become a missionary. However, church rules prohibited women from engaging in missionary work.
Francis Wright, a wealthy merchant from Utica, New York, courted Paulina. They got married in 1833 and shared the same values and a mutual desire to leave their church in protest of its support for slavery. They both served on the executive committee of the Central New York Anti-Slavery Society (CNYASS) and supported women's rights reforms, associating with feminists such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Ernestine Rose. The couple did not have any children. Francis Wright passed away in 1845.
After her husband's death, Paulina moved to New York to continue her medical studies and teach others. In 1846, she lectured on anatomy and physiology to women. She borrowed a medical mannequin and traveled across the eastern United States, educating and encouraging women to become doctors.
In 1849, Paulina married Thomas Davis, an Irish-American Democrat from Providence, Rhode Island. The couple eventually became the foster parents of two daughters.
Advocacy for Women's Rights
In 1850, Paulina redirected all her efforts towards advocating for women's rights. She stopped giving lectures and helped organize the National Women's Rights Convention (NWRC) in Worcester, Massachusetts. She led the convention and delivered the main address.
In 1853, Paulina began editing the women's newspaper "The Una" and remained involved until 1855 when she passed the editorial reins to Caroline Wells Healey Dall.
In 1870, Paulina organized a gathering to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Women's Suffrage Movement (WSM) and published "The History of the National Woman's Rights Movement." She passed away on August 24, 1876, in Providence, Rhode Island, at the age of 64.
