Milholland, Inez, 1886-1916

Inez Milholland Boissevain (August 6, 1886 – November 25, 1916) was a suffragist, labor lawyer, socialist, World War I correspondent, and public speaker who greatly influenced the women's movement in America. She was active in the National Woman's Party and a key participant in the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession.

Born to a wealthy family in Brooklyn, New York, Milholland grew up in New York City and London. While in England, she met the militant suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst and became a political radical. After graduating from Vassar in 1909, Milholland started working as a suffrage orator in New York City. She also advocated for women’s labor rights. She was arrested picketing alongside female shirtwaist and laundry workers during strikes in 1909 and 1910. She also used her resources as a member of an upper-class family to pay bail for other strikers and organize fundraisers. After being rejected from several law schools because she was a woman, Milholland earned a law degree from New York University in 1912.

...