Josephine K. Henry
Encyclopedia
Josephine Kirby Henry (February 22, 1846–1928) was an American
Progressive Era
women's rights
leader, suffragist, social reformer, and writer from Versailles, Kentucky
in the United States. Henry was a strong advocate for women and was a leading proponent of legislation that would grant married women property rights. Henry lobbied hard for the adoption of the Kentucky 1894 Married Woman's Property Act, and is credited for being instrumental in its passage. Henry was the first woman to campaign publicly for a statewide office in Kentucky.
in northern Kentucky
. In March 1868 Josephine was married to Captain William Henry of Versailles, Kentucky. After their marriage they resided in Versailles and both were heavily involved in local and state community affairs. Together they had one son who died in a railroad accident near Chicago in 1891 while working as a writer for Chicago Inter Ocean
.
Henry dedicated many years of her life to working to gain equal rights for women. Her writing, speechesc, and organizational skills are noted in the records and reports of the national and local organization, news accounts of events, and official Kentucky state records. As an example, Eugenia B. Farmer's report of Kentucky suffrage activities to the 1893 National American Woman Suffrage Association
Convention stated that Henry had lectured throughout the state, delivered fifteen lectures, kept up a department in the Southern Journal, wrote fifty-six articles for other papers.
and Josephine Henry founded the Kentucky Equal Rights Association
to expand and revitalize the suffrage movement in Kentucky. The Association fought for Progressive Era social reform including women's rights to vote in all local, state and national elections; a married women's right to own her own property or make a will or a contract in her own legal standing, and have control over her wages or earnings from her own business.
, including the franchise. Henry saw this as critical for the establishment of women's economic independence and the self-efficacy needed for an informed citizenry to vote in a constructive way.
Henry also wrote poems, and is best remembered for The Old Town Clock and A Parody On 'Comin’ Thro’ The Rye.
candidate for clerk of the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1890 and 1894, and was the first woman in the South to run in a public campaign for a state office. A few years later, Henry was nominated for Superintendent of Public Instruction. On November 14, 1897, Henry declared her willingness to be nominated as the Prohibition Party
candidate for President. The New York Times picked up the story out of Versailles, Kentucky
and listed her platform's main ideas:
The brief article ended abruptly with the most caustic of statements: "Mrs. Henry is an agnostic. She thinks Thanksgiving Day should be abolished and that no reference to God should be made in the Constitution."
organizations such as the Freethought Federation of America and the American Secular Union
.
Her most controversial project was her work with Elizabeth Cady Stanton
and a group of women's rights activists on criticizing the new translations in the Anglicans' Bible
, better known as the King James Bible, which was being revised first the first time in the 1880s since the Authorized Version of 1611. The Woman's Bible
was written by activists who were not Biblical scholars themselves but who fervently challenged the nineteenth century's traditional Judeo-Christian interpretations of women and women's roles. Henry served on the internationally renowned Revising Committee, a group of women from Europe and the U.S. who drafted commentary on the 1888 Revised Version
of the Bible published by the Church of England
. The Woman's Bible was broadly criticized in reviews, editorials, and by from the pulpit. Suffragist organizations moved to distance their groups from 'The Women's Bible and the women closely associated with the book. Her openly espoused views on religion, marriage, and divorce caused a split between Henry and her longtime friend, Laura Clay
, as well as many other women in the Kentucky Equal Rights Association around the turn of the century - causing her to be banned from any further Association meetings.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Progressive Era
Progressive Era
The Progressive Era in the United States was a period of social activism and political reform that flourished from the 1890s to the 1920s. One main goal of the Progressive movement was purification of government, as Progressives tried to eliminate corruption by exposing and undercutting political...
women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
leader, suffragist, social reformer, and writer from Versailles, Kentucky
Versailles, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,511 people, 3,160 households, and 2,110 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,330 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.18% White, 8.67% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.35%...
in the United States. Henry was a strong advocate for women and was a leading proponent of legislation that would grant married women property rights. Henry lobbied hard for the adoption of the Kentucky 1894 Married Woman's Property Act, and is credited for being instrumental in its passage. Henry was the first woman to campaign publicly for a statewide office in Kentucky.
Family and early life
Josephine was born into the wealthy Williamson family in NewportNewport, Kentucky
Newport is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers. The population was 15,273 at the 2010 census. Historically, it was one of four county seats of Campbell County. Newport is part of the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio Metro Area which...
in northern Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. In March 1868 Josephine was married to Captain William Henry of Versailles, Kentucky. After their marriage they resided in Versailles and both were heavily involved in local and state community affairs. Together they had one son who died in a railroad accident near Chicago in 1891 while working as a writer for Chicago Inter Ocean
Chicago Inter Ocean
The Chicago Inter Ocean, also known as the Chicago Inter-Ocean, is the name used for most of its history for a newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, from 1865 until 1914. Its editors included Charles A...
.
Women's rights activity
Whatever their social station, at the time of Henry's birth, women in Kentucky had many responsibilities but few rights. The situation was worse for married women who after marriage legally were considered as conjoined with the husband into one person and had few legal protections from their husbands' actions. Married women had few rights in critical economic statuses such as the ownership of property or in making a will. Women had no right to their own wages, no legal protections for the physical safety of their own bodies in domestic altercations, and often had no right to interfere in their husbands' decisions about their children.Henry dedicated many years of her life to working to gain equal rights for women. Her writing, speechesc, and organizational skills are noted in the records and reports of the national and local organization, news accounts of events, and official Kentucky state records. As an example, Eugenia B. Farmer's report of Kentucky suffrage activities to the 1893 National American Woman Suffrage Association
National American Woman Suffrage Association
The National American Woman Suffrage Association was an American women's rights organization formed in May 1890 as a unification of the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association...
Convention stated that Henry had lectured throughout the state, delivered fifteen lectures, kept up a department in the Southern Journal, wrote fifty-six articles for other papers.
Kentucky Equal Rights Association
In 1888, Laura ClayLaura Clay
Laura Clay , co-founder and first president of the Kentucky Equal Rights Association, was a leader of the American women’s suffrage movement...
and Josephine Henry founded the Kentucky Equal Rights Association
Kentucky Equal Rights Association
Kentucky Equal Rights Association was the first permanent statewide women's rights organization in Kentucky. Founded in November 1888, the KERA voted in 1920 to transmute itself into the to continue its many and diverse progressive efforts on behalf of women's rights.Inspired by Lucy Stone during...
to expand and revitalize the suffrage movement in Kentucky. The Association fought for Progressive Era social reform including women's rights to vote in all local, state and national elections; a married women's right to own her own property or make a will or a contract in her own legal standing, and have control over her wages or earnings from her own business.
1894 Kentucky Married Woman's Property Act
By the last decade of the nineteenth century, Kentucky was the only state in which marriage effectively denied women of their basic human and civil rights. The "Married Woman’s Property Act" - also called the "Husband and Wife Bill" during the years under debate when the draft was castigated as anti-family and infringing on cultural norms about women's honor as ladies - passed in 1894. Though the Kentucky General Assembly narrowly constructed the bill to gave married women the some general rights to own property in Kentucky, this was an important milestone in the campaign for women's rightsWomen's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
, including the franchise. Henry saw this as critical for the establishment of women's economic independence and the self-efficacy needed for an informed citizenry to vote in a constructive way.
Writer
Josephine was a prolific writer who wrote wrote hundreds of newspaper articles, speeches, and editorials — many of which were reprinted in newspapers throughout the country. In addition to writing the opinion pieces, she wrote longer monographs. The two most famous of her pamphlets were both published in 1905: Marriage and Divorce and Woman and the Bible.Henry also wrote poems, and is best remembered for The Old Town Clock and A Parody On 'Comin’ Thro’ The Rye.
Political campaigns
Henry was the Prohibition PartyProhibition Party
The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party was an integral part of the temperance movement...
candidate for clerk of the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1890 and 1894, and was the first woman in the South to run in a public campaign for a state office. A few years later, Henry was nominated for Superintendent of Public Instruction. On November 14, 1897, Henry declared her willingness to be nominated as the Prohibition Party
Prohibition Party
The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party was an integral part of the temperance movement...
candidate for President. The New York Times picked up the story out of Versailles, Kentucky
Versailles, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,511 people, 3,160 households, and 2,110 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,330 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.18% White, 8.67% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.35%...
and listed her platform's main ideas:
- the enfranchisement of American women
- free coinage of silver
- recognition of Cuban independence
- pension reform
- reduction of Federal offices
- a non-partisan tariff committee
- a law making lobbying a penal offense
- the abolition of the liquor traffic
The brief article ended abruptly with the most caustic of statements: "Mrs. Henry is an agnostic. She thinks Thanksgiving Day should be abolished and that no reference to God should be made in the Constitution."
Freethinker and agnostic
Henry was active in freethoughtFreethought
Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or other dogmas...
organizations such as the Freethought Federation of America and the American Secular Union
American Secular Union
The American Secular Union was a social movement from the 19th century in the United States.After the implosion of the National Liberal League, the Liberals reorganized as a nonpolitical American Secular Union...
.
Her most controversial project was her work with Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an American social activist, abolitionist, and leading figure of the early woman's movement...
and a group of women's rights activists on criticizing the new translations in the Anglicans' Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, better known as the King James Bible, which was being revised first the first time in the 1880s since the Authorized Version of 1611. The Woman's Bible
The Woman's Bible
The Woman's Bible is a two-part book, written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and a committee of 26 women, and published in 1895 and 1898 to challenge the traditional position of religious orthodoxy that woman should be subservient to man. By producing the book, Stanton wished to promote a radical...
was written by activists who were not Biblical scholars themselves but who fervently challenged the nineteenth century's traditional Judeo-Christian interpretations of women and women's roles. Henry served on the internationally renowned Revising Committee, a group of women from Europe and the U.S. who drafted commentary on the 1888 Revised Version
Revised Version
The Revised Version of the Bible is a late 19th-century British revision of the King James Version of 1611. It was the first and remains the only officially authorized and recognized revision of the King James Bible. The work was entrusted to over 50 scholars from various denominations in Britain...
of the Bible published by the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. The Woman's Bible was broadly criticized in reviews, editorials, and by from the pulpit. Suffragist organizations moved to distance their groups from 'The Women's Bible and the women closely associated with the book. Her openly espoused views on religion, marriage, and divorce caused a split between Henry and her longtime friend, Laura Clay
Laura Clay
Laura Clay , co-founder and first president of the Kentucky Equal Rights Association, was a leader of the American women’s suffrage movement...
, as well as many other women in the Kentucky Equal Rights Association around the turn of the century - causing her to be banned from any further Association meetings.
Recognition and legacy
In 1920, Henry was given a "Pioneer Distinguished Service" certificate by the National American Woman Suffrage AssociationNational American Woman Suffrage Association
The National American Woman Suffrage Association was an American women's rights organization formed in May 1890 as a unification of the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association...
.
Additional Resources
- Henry, Josephine K. A Review of the Late Address of Judge Saufley to the Graduates of the Young Ladies' College of Harrodsburg, Ky. Versailles, Ky., 1894. Print.
- Henry, Josephine K. Marriage and Divorce. James E. Hughes, Printer, 1905. Print.
- Henry, Josephine K. Woman and the Bible. James E. Hughes, Printer, 1905. Print.
- Henry, Josephine K. "Woman and the Bible," in Gaylor, Annie L., Women without Superstition, "No Gods--No Masters:" the collected writings of women freethinkers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Madison, Wis: Freedom From Religion Foundation, 1997. Print.
- Henry, Josephine K. Musings in Life's Evening. Lexington, Ky.: J.M. Byrnes Co., n.d. Print.
- Henry, Josephine K. Married Women's Property Rights, Under Kentucky Laws: An Appeal for Justice. Versailles, Ky.: Kentucky Equal Rights Association, 1880. Print.
- Letters from Josephine K. Henry to Sarah Gibson Humphreys of Woodford County (also an author and member of the Kentucky Equal Rights Association), Gibson-Humphreys Family Papers, 1840-1955. 1M61M140. University of Kentucky Special Collections, Lexington, KentuckyLexington, KentuckyLexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. - Henry, Josephine K. "The New Woman of the New South," Athena (1895) from http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Josephine_K._Henry|Wikisource
- Henry, Josephine K. "A Parody On Comin' Thro' The Rye," The Woodford Sun (September 24, 1908)
- Josephine Henry Collection, Woodford County Historical Society, Versailles, KentuckyVersailles, KentuckyAs of the census of 2000, there were 7,511 people, 3,160 households, and 2,110 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,330 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.18% White, 8.67% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.35%...
.