SENECA FALLS - A one-time Auburn resident was recognized Sunday as one of the United States' most distinguished women.
Martha Coffin Wright was one of nine women to be inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Seneca Falls.
Wright, who lived in Auburn in the mid-1800s, was one of a handful of people who organized the first women's rights convention in 1848 held in Seneca Falls. At the convention, 300 women presented a declaration that demanded, among other things, that women be granted the right to vote.
She was also an abolitionist who assisted freed slaves escaping through the Underground Railroad.
Among the eight others to be inducted Sunday were ambassador Swanee Hunt, chef and TV personality Julia Child, writer and psychiatrist Elisabeth KÅbler-Ross and Seneca Falls resident Judith Pipher, an infrared astronomer. Past Hall of Fame inductees include Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman and Eleanor Roosevelt.
During the ceremony, each inductee or a representative was introduced by television journalist Karen Stone Yannett before speaking to the crowd of hundreds in the New York Chiropractic College athletic center. Wright's great-great-grandson, James Livingston, accepted the honor in her place.
“All of the men and women here owe a great deal of gratitude to the dangerous women who first stood up for women's rights, right here in Seneca Falls,” Livingston said.
Livingston co-authored the biography “A Very Dangerous Woman: Martha Wright and Women's Rights.” The book's title comes from a common term used by her conservative neighbors to describe Wright because of her progressive views.
During his talk, Livingston said that Wright was often considered to be the “wit of the suffrage movement” because of her sense of humor. He also noted that when Frederick Douglass came to speak in central New York, he would often stay at Wright's house. Many other homes and establishments would not allow him in because of his race, Livingston said.
The ceremony opened with introductory remarks from author and activist Helen LaKelly Hunt, who was inducted into the hall in 1994.
The National Women's Hall of fame exists to create a home for the stories of great women - stories that can sometimes get lost in history, Hunt said.
“The mission of this hall of fame is to cure the historical amnesia about women,” Hunt added.
Founded in 1969, the National Women's Hall of Fame has honored more than 200 women. The organization accepts formal nominations, and a panel of judges chooses approximately 10 women each year to be inducted. The Hall of Fame museum is located in Seneca Falls.
The women in the National Women's Hall of Fame are honored for contributions to the arts, athletics, business, education, government, humanities, philanthropy and science, according to the Hall of Fame's mission statement. The organization also sponsors educational programs and special exhibits and events throughout the year.
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.
To learn more
For more information about the National Women's Hall of Fame, visit www.greatwomen.org.
Wright, who lived in Auburn in the mid-1800s, was one of a handful of people who organized the first women's rights convention in 1848 held in Seneca Falls. At the convention, 300 women presented a declaration that demanded, among other things, that women be granted the right to vote.
She was also an abolitionist who assisted freed slaves escaping through the Underground Railroad.
Among the eight others to be inducted Sunday were ambassador Swanee Hunt, chef and TV personality Julia Child, writer and psychiatrist Elisabeth KÅbler-Ross and Seneca Falls resident Judith Pipher, an infrared astronomer. Past Hall of Fame inductees include Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman and Eleanor Roosevelt.
During the ceremony, each inductee or a representative was introduced by television journalist Karen Stone Yannett before speaking to the crowd of hundreds in the New York Chiropractic College athletic center. Wright's great-great-grandson, James Livingston, accepted the honor in her place.
“All of the men and women here owe a great deal of gratitude to the dangerous women who first stood up for women's rights, right here in Seneca Falls,” Livingston said.
Livingston co-authored the biography “A Very Dangerous Woman: Martha Wright and Women's Rights.” The book's title comes from a common term used by her conservative neighbors to describe Wright because of her progressive views.
During his talk, Livingston said that Wright was often considered to be the “wit of the suffrage movement” because of her sense of humor. He also noted that when Frederick Douglass came to speak in central New York, he would often stay at Wright's house. Many other homes and establishments would not allow him in because of his race, Livingston said.
The ceremony opened with introductory remarks from author and activist Helen LaKelly Hunt, who was inducted into the hall in 1994.
The National Women's Hall of fame exists to create a home for the stories of great women - stories that can sometimes get lost in history, Hunt said.
“The mission of this hall of fame is to cure the historical amnesia about women,” Hunt added.
Founded in 1969, the National Women's Hall of Fame has honored more than 200 women. The organization accepts formal nominations, and a panel of judges chooses approximately 10 women each year to be inducted. The Hall of Fame museum is located in Seneca Falls.
The women in the National Women's Hall of Fame are honored for contributions to the arts, athletics, business, education, government, humanities, philanthropy and science, according to the Hall of Fame's mission statement. The organization also sponsors educational programs and special exhibits and events throughout the year.
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.
To learn more
For more information about the National Women's Hall of Fame, visit www.greatwomen.org.
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