Civic Club of Allegheny County (Pa.)

The Civic Club began in 1890, when a group of Pittsburgh women came together to form the Women's Health Protective Association to encourage the development and growth of the city's public health works and charities. John A. Brashear took a leadership role in the club by incorporating and chartering it in 1896. The accomplishments of The Civic Club included the establishment of city playgrounds, smoke abatement regulations, education programs of workers and immigrants, public baths and laundry in the Soho neighborhood, child labor regulation, contagious disease hospitals, public concerts, and the maintenance of public gardens. The Civic Club played a prominent role in passing legislation for improving the living standards of the city's residents. Some of The Civic Club's legislative causes included pure water acts, garbage collection, school inspections, free bridges, and an improved city charter. One of The Civic Club's most notable contributions was encouraging voter participation. The Civic Club published a voter directory for each primary andgeneral election listing all candidates, their biographies, and qualifications in order to enable citizens to vote intelligently. Due to difficulty obtaining the yearly finances needed to operate the organization, The Civic Club surrendered its charter in 1974 and dissolved.