May wright sewell + biography

Sewall left Indianapolis in after the sale of her school, living for the most part in New England, writing and lecturing. Inin ill health, she returned to the city. Shortly before her death, the Bobbs-Merrill Company published her book on spiritualism, Neither Dead Nor Sleepingwhich described her conversations with her deceased husband Theodore and other psychic experiences.

After her death, a May Wright Sewall Memorial Fund was established to place books in the public library in her may wright sewell + biography, and two bronze standards were erected to light the entrance to the John Herron Art Institute. These have since been moved to the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields. May Wright Sewall, ca. You can also recommend new entries related to this topic.

A product of the Indianapolis Bicentennial effort —21the digital Encyclopedia of Indianapolis integrates and accesses the explosion and fragmentation of knowledge created both as born-digital information and as a large new digital archive. He died from tuberculosis at their Indianapolis home on December 23, May began her teaching career inwhen she took a job at Waukesha County, Wisconsin, but left in to attend college in Evanston, Illinois.

She later moved to Michigan. In May became a high school teacher at Plainwell, Michigan, and subsequently its first woman principal. In May moved to Franklin, Indiana, where she taught German at the local high school. She returned to Michigan in to marry to Edwin Thompson. The newlyweds moved to Franklin the following year. May became principal at Franklin's high school; Edwin was superintendent of schools.

May taught German and English literature; Edwin taught business classes. May taught German and literature at the Indianapolis Classical School for boys; Theodore was the school's principal. May spent more than three decades as an Indianapolis educator, twenty-five of them at the Girls' Classical School, which she founded with her second husband, Theodore.

The school opened with forty-four students in September May served as the school's principal and taught literature. The girls' school initially occupied a building on the southeast corner of Pennsylvania and St. Joseph streets. In it expanded to new facilities in a three-story brick building at North Pennsylvania Street. Ina year after Theodore's death, Sewall leased a double brick building at and North Pennsylvania to serve as a school residence for students who lived outside the city.

The school's curriculum did not offer the traditional courses for girls at the time, such as art or music. Instead, its college preparatory courses included classical studies, modern languages, and science. The girls' school also offered a course of study for women who did not plan to enroll in college. In addition to academic classes, Sewall introduced dress reform and physical education for young women, which was not typical for a time when corsets, bustles, and petticoats were the norm.

She also urged, but did not require, parents to provide students with simple dress that consisted of a "kilt skirt and loose waist with a sash" to allow for more freedom of movement. Afterwhen Sewall became the sole principal of the school, she added innovative programs such as adult education and courses in domestic science later known as home economicswhich included classes in physics, chemistry, and cooking.

These courses were among the first of their kind to be offered in Indiana or the nation. By the Girls' Classical School was having financial problems as rival private schools were established in the city and public high schools became more common in Indiana. The Sewalls operated the school together until Theodore's death in May continued to run the school until her retirement in Weavera former student and a graduate of Stanford University, to jointly operate the school.

In Sewall announced her retirement, ending her twenty-five year career at the school.

May wright sewell + biography

Weaver continued to run the Girls' Classical School from the double brick building they used as a school residence. Weaver permanently closed the school in Sewall had no immediate plans after her retirement. In she donated items from her Indianapolis home to local organizations and left the city to deliver a public lecture at Eliot, Maineand continued her work in the women's movement.

While a resident of Indianapolis Sewall was known for her active involvement in numerous civic and cultural organizations. Many praised her work, but others criticized her as being "too dominant. Sewall was among the small group of women who founded the Indianapolis Woman's Club, whose first meeting was held on February 18, The club was organized to further the "mental and social culture" of its members.

Hendrickswas the club's first president. In Sewall encouraged the Indianapolis Woman's Club to consider erecting a building to serve as a meeting place for the club as well as other literary, artistic, and social organizations in the city. The Propylaeum incorporated on June 6,as a stock company of Indianapolis women. Sewall was elected president of the corporation, a position she retained untilwhen she resigned and left Indianapolis.

In Junethree years after Sewall's death, the City of Indianapolis acquired the Propylaeum's first building as a site for a new war memorial, and the organization erected a new building at 14th and Delaware streets. In Sewall convened the initial meeting to organize the Art Association of Indianapolis, forerunner to the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

She was a charter member of the group, which formally incorporated in October Sewall also helped found its affiliated art school, which became known as the John Herron Art Institute. Sewall served as the art association's may wright sewell + biography recording secretary, and as its president from to Sewall also attended the groundbreaking for the Art Association's new museum and art school, whose cornerstone was laid on November 25, May and Theodore Sewall organized and were charter members of Indianapolis's Contemporary Club, which was established in their home in Club membership was open to men and women on equal terms.

May served as the club's first president. Sewall is best known for her work in the woman's suffrage movement, especially her ability to organize and unify women's groups through a concept she called the council idea. The national and international councils she helped organize brought women of diverse backgrounds together to work toward larger interests.

Sewall joined the woman suffrage movement in Marchwhen she was among the nine women and one man who secretly met to discuss formation of the Indianapolis Equal Suffrage Society. Sewall became involved in the state fight for women's right to vote inwhen the Indianapolis suffragists lobbied the Indiana General Assembly to pass a bill that would give Indiana women the right to vote on an equal basis with men.

The suffrage supporters, including Sewall, were successful in getting the Indiana Senate and the Indiana House of Representatives to adopt a suffrage amendment to the state constitution inbut state law required amendments to the state constitution to be passage at two consecutive legislative sessions. Indiana's suffrage groups worked statewide to secure passage of the amendment in the legislative session.

The House resolution passed on February 20,but the Senate refused to act on it. Frustrated with the Indiana legislature's failure to amend the state constitution, Sewall turned her efforts to securing voting rights for women at the national level. Sewall first arrived on the national scene inwhen she gave a speech at the National Woman Suffrage Association's convention in Rochester, New Yorkas a representative of the Indianapolis Equal Suffrage Society.

Inas chairman of the NWSA's executive committee, Sewall directed the organization's plans to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention of The meeting was held in Washington, D. Anthony supported the idea of an international suffrage association, little was accomplished until Sewall's presentation at the NWSA's meeting in March Her idea was to form national and international councils of women's groups that would to bring women together for regular gatherings to discuss various topics beyond suffrage.

Forty-nine delegates representing fifty-three national women's organizations approved the establishment of a fifteen-member committee that included Clara BartonFrances WillardAntoinette Brown BlackwellJulia Ward HoweLucy Stoneand Sewall. The national groups were eligible to join the International Council of Women. During the last 15 years of her life, she was an active member of the American Peace Society.

After closing her school inSewall had moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and later to Eliot, Maine. Despite having for years attended the Unitarian Church with her husband, she turned to spiritualism after his death, apparently seeking contact with him. Her book Neither Dead Nor Sleepingpublished in the last year of her life, described her experiences with psychic phenomena.

Once described as "powerful, dominant, and queenly in personality," able to inspire both "tender and loyal friendships and vivid aversions," Sewall died in Indianapolis inage Eagle, Mary Kavanaugh Oldham. Chicago, IL: International,pp. James, Edward T. Notable American Women, — Logan, Mrs. John A. Wilmington, DE: Perry-Nalle,pp. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

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Learn more about citation styles Citation styles Encyclopedia. More From encyclopedia. Sewall, Harriet Winslow. Sewall Wright effect. Sewall Wright. Sewal de Bovill. Sewage Treatment. Sewage System. Sewage Protestors Hold a "Toilet Protest". Sevostyanova, Nadezhda —.