Whitehouse, Vira Boarman, 1875-1957

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Vira Boarman Whitehouse (September 16, 1875 – April 11, 1957) was the owner of the Whitehouse Leather Company, a suffragette, and early proponent of birth control.

Vira Boarman was born in Abingdon, Virginia, September 16, 1875, to Robert Boarman and Cornelia Terrell.

She attended Newcomb College in New Orleans and was a member of Pi Beta Phi.

She married New York stockbroker James Norman de Rapelye Whitehouse (1858–1949) on April 13, 1898. They had one child, Alice Whitehouse Harjes.

Whitehouse became interested in suffrage after the Woman suffrage parade of 1913 erupted into violence. She marched in the May 1913 suffrage parade in New York City and volunteered with the Women's Political Union after the parade. Six months later Whitehouse gave her first outdoor suffrage speech.

She was chairman in 1913 of the publicity council of the Empire State Campaign Committee and in 1916 of the New York State Woman Suffrage Party (NYSWSP).

In May 1915, Whitehouse made cold calls to potential voters to ask their views on suffrage. This is one of the earliest examples of telephone polling.

Whitehouse led an incredibly successful fundraising campaign, making large donations herself and soliciting donations from New York's most prominent families.

When New York State granted women the right to vote on November 6, 1917, Whitehouse was widely credited with the win.

Whitehouse's husband was a member of the Men's League for Women's Suffrage, by July 1917 he was treasurer of the League.

In 1918, she became director of the Swiss office of the Committee on Public Information, where she worked closely with Rosika Schwimmer, the Hungarian ambassador to Switzerland, and one of the first female ambassadors in the world. This appointment was a direct result of her success in the suffrage movement. George Creel, head of the United States Committee on Public Information, had formerly been the publicity chair for the New York chapter of the Men's League for Women's Suffrage. He explained Whitehouse's appointment as "Mrs. Whitehouse's job was to put America across in Switzerland the way she had put equal suffrage across in New York." Her main job in Switzerland was to provide accurate information to Swiss newspapers interested in American affairs without violating Switzerland's policy of neutrality. She held the position for eleven months, but only spent six months actively working in Switzerland. Nevertheless, her work was considered successful. Whitehouse reported her experiences in A Year as a Government Agent (1920).

In 1921, she bought the Buchan-Murphy Manufacturing Company, a leather business, renamed it the Whitehouse Leather Products Company, Inc., and reorganized it with herself as president. She managed the company for eight years, reducing the work week from 48 hours to 44 hours, among other changes.

In 1925, she was elected a member of the Democratic County Committee from Manhattan's 15th Assembly District.

The following year, she became Chairman of the Independent Women's Committee for Judge Wagner. She sold her leather company before the stock market crash of 1929.

She died at her home in New York City on April 11, 1957.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Hay, Mary Garrett, 1857-1928. Papers in the Woman's Rights Collection, 1918-1923 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Hay, Mary Garrett, 1857-1928. Papers in the Woman's Rights Collection, 1918-1923 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Loines, Mary Hillard, 1844-1944. Papers in the Woman's Rights Collection, 1886-1944 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Papers, 1867, 1895, 1902-1948 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Dennett, Mary Ware, 1872-1947. Papers: Series V, 1913-1945 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Papers of Mary Ware Dennett Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Amelia MacDonald Cutler papers, 1906-1921. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Additional papers of Gertrude Foster Brown, 1732-1956 (inclusive), 1815-1956 (bulk) Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Agnes Morgenthau Newborg Papers MS 107., 1914-1933 Sophia Smith Collection
referencedIn Alice Morgan Wright Papers MS 176., 1873-1994 Sophia Smith Collection
creatorOf Whitehouse, Vira Boarman, 1875-1957. Papers, 1889-1957 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Papers of Grace A. Johnson in the Woman's Rights Collection, 1840-1952 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Learned Hand papers Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Additional papers of Gertrude Foster Brown, 1732-1956 (inclusive), 1815-1956 (bulk) Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Wright, Alice Morgan, 1881-1975. Alice Morgan Wright Papers, 1873-1994. Smith College, Neilson Library
referencedIn Papers, 1906-1921. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Papers of Gertrude Foster Brown, 1822-1978 (inclusive), 1910-1949 (bulk) Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Laidlaw, Harriet Burton, 1873-1949. Papers, 1851-1958 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Papers of Helen Brewster Owens, 1867-1948 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Laidlaw, H. B. (Harriet Burton), b. 1874. Papers: Series I-IV, 1851-1958 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Newborg, Agnes Morgenthau. Papers, 1914-1933. Smith College, Neilson Library
creatorOf Papers, 1889-1957, n.d. Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Loines, Mary Hillard, 1844-1944. Papers in the Woman's Rights Collection, 1886-1944 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Acheson, Dean Gooderham, 1893-1971 person
associatedWith Baker, Newton Diehl, 1871-1937. person
associatedWith Brown, Gertrude Foster, 1867-1956 person
associatedWith Burrows, Roxana Bradley, 1835-1922 person
associatedWith Cannon, Jennie Curtis, 1851-1929 person
associatedWith Catt, Carrie Chapman, 1859-1947. person
associatedWith Creel, George, 1876-1953 person
associatedWith Cutler, Amelia MacDonald, 1882-1947. person
associatedWith Dennett, Mary Ware, 1872-1947. person
associatedWith Dreier, Mary E. (Mary Elisabeth), 1875-1963 person
associatedWith Gawthorpe, Mary person
associatedWith Gawthorpe, Mary. person
associatedWith Green, Theodore Francis, 1867-1966 person
associatedWith Green, Theodore Francis, 1967-1966. person
associatedWith Hand, Learned, 1872-1961 person
associatedWith Harriet Wright (Burton) Laidlaw, 1873-1949 person
associatedWith Hay, Mary Garrett, 1857-1928. person
associatedWith Huffcut, Lillian. person
associatedWith Huffcut, Lillian L. person
associatedWith Johnson, Grace Allen Fitch, 1871-1952 person
associatedWith Livermore, Henrietta person
associatedWith Livermore, Henrietta. person
associatedWith Loines, Mary Hillard, 1844-1944. person
associatedWith Mary Garrett Hay, 1857-1928 person
associatedWith Mary (Hillard) Loines, 1844-1944 person
associatedWith MARY (WARE) DENNETT person
associatedWith Miller, Alice Duer, 1874-1942. person
associatedWith Mills, Harriet May, 1857- person
correspondedWith Newborg, Agnes Morgenthau person
correspondedWith Newborg, Agnes Morgenthau. person
associatedWith New York State Woman Suffrage Party. corporateBody
associatedWith Owens, Helen Brewster, 1881-1968. person
associatedWith Pepper, George Wharton, 1867-1961 person
associatedWith Perkins, Frances, 1880-1965. person
associatedWith Pinchot, Cornelia Bryce, 1881-1960. person
associatedWith Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962. person
associatedWith Seabring, Lena S. person
associatedWith Seabring, Lena S. person
associatedWith Tone, Gertrude (Franchot) person
associatedWith Tone, Gertrude Franchot. person
associatedWith United States. Committee on Public Information. corporateBody
associatedWith Whitehouse, James Norman de Rapelye, 1858-1949. person
associatedWith Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924. person
associatedWith Wright, Alice Morgan person
Place Name Admin Code Country
New York City NY US
New Orleans LA US
Abingdon VA US
Switzerland
Subject
American
Americans
Propaganda, American
Propaganda, German
Women
Women
Occupation
Government Administrator
Suffragists
Activity

Person

Birth 1875-09-16

Death 1957-04-11

Female

Americans

English

Information

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SNAC ID: 85588043