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Title
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Howe, Julia Ward (1819-1910)
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birthday
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1819-03-27
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Birthplace
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New York City
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Death Date
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1910-10-17
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Occupation
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Author
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Suffragist
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Abolitionist
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Biographical Text
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Julia Ward was born the fourth of seven children. She lost her mother at the age of five who died from childbirth. She was educated by her aunt and various private tutors. She was well-read at a young age and developed a love for literature. Her father passed in 1839, she visited friends in Boston to help with her coping. Julia Ward came from a wealthy background and her brother married into the Astor family which gave her family more social freedom. Julia Ward met her future husband, Dr. Samuel Howe in 1843 while exploring the New England Institute for the Blind. The couple quickly married and had children shortly after. There were issues in the marriage because she valued socializing and writing while her husband busied himself with his work and longed for her to be content with housekeeping. In 1848 Julia gained some fame for her published poetry. She often wrote about topics such as women’s roles and suffrage which further upset her husband. The couple ended up divorcing in 1852. When the Civil War began Howe worked for the US Sanitary Commission which cleaned hospitals for soldiers. Howe’s poem “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” was published in 1862 and was deemed the Union’s anthem during the Civil War. After the Civil War, Howe joined a few organizations and was an activist. She helped found the New England Suffrage Association in 1868, the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association, and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA). She helped create the AWSA newspaper and was the editor for 20 years. In 1889, she helped all the groups form the National American Woman Suffrage Association. She continued to write and publish throughout the 80s. She was the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1908.
Julia and Samuel Howe had 6 children: Julia Romana Howe (1844-1886), Florence Marion Howe (1845-1922), Henry Marion Howe (1848-1922), Laura Elizabeth Howe (1850-1943), Maud Howe (1855-1948) and Samuel Gridley Howe Jr. (1859-1863). Samuel Howe died in 1876. Julia Howe wrote a very positive biography about him despite their struggles in marriage. Howe died in her home of pneumonia in 1910 at the age of 91. At her funeral service, more than 4,000 people showed up and sang “Battle Hymn of the Republic” to show their respect. She was survived by 4 of her children who wrote a biography for her after her death. The biography won the Pulitzer Prize for Biographies. Various buildings have since been named after her across the United States.
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Contributor
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Pryor, Erin
