Women leaders of Temperance and Prohibition in the U.S.
Women played a crucial role in the temperance movement. They viewed alcohol as a major cause of poverty, domestic violence, and moral decline and saw temperance as a way to protect their families and improve society.The temperance movement began before women had the right to vote, and, lacking venues to promote public policy elsewhere, many women were eager to join and participate.
Funded in 1874, The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) became one of the most influential organizations in the movement under the leadership of Annie Wittenmyer. The second president, Frances Willard, expanded the group’s mission beyond temperance to include women’s suffrage, labor rights, and social reform, arguing that women needed the vote to enact moral legislation. Women-led organizations gave an opportunity to women to develop leadership skills and gain experience in public speaking.
Women also played a vital role in advocating for the 18th Amendment, which established Prohibition in 1920. The temperance movement gave women a platform for political engagement at a time when they had limited rights. It helped lay the groundwork for the women’s suffrage movement, leading to the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.
- Visit the website of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union
WCTU presidents
Annie Wittenmyer, the first president
Frances Willard, the second president
Annie Wittenmyer
Annie Wittenmyer (1827–1900) was a prominent leader in the temperance movement, advocating for the prohibition of alcohol to protect families and communities. As the first president of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), she helped shape its early mission, emphasizing moral reform and social welfare. She championed education, women’s leadership, and legislative efforts to restrict alcohol consumption. Her work laid the foundation for future temperance activism, influencing national policies and inspiring generations of reformers.
Portrait of Annie Wittenmyer
Portrait of Annie Wittenmyer from Centennial Temperance Volume: A Memorial of the International Temperance Conference, held in Philadelphia, June, 1876.
The Temple of the White Women
Photo captioned "The Temple" showing the "Temple of the White Women," which housed the WCTU in Chicago.
The "Temperance Temple" or "Woman's Temple" was a prominent building in Chicago's financial district. Located at the southwest corner of LaSalle and Monroe Streets, the iconic building was designed to house the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and related organizations, such as the Woman's Temperance Publishing Association. It also served as a meeting place for other women's organizations. The Temperance Temple was demolished in 1925.
Frances Willard
Frances Willard (1839–1898) was a leading figure in the temperance movement and a pioneering advocate for women's rights. As the longtime president of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), she expanded its mission beyond alcohol reform to include women’s suffrage, labor rights, and social justice. Her "Do Everything" policy encouraged activism on multiple fronts, making her a key force in progressive reform. Her leadership and writings helped shape the temperance movement and advance the cause of women's empowerment in the U.S.
Portrait of Frances E. Willard
From The beautiful life of Frances E. Willard: a memorial volume
History of the woman's temperance crusade
A long title describes the content of the 781 page book on temperance history: History of the woman's temperance crusade. A complete official history of the wonderful uprising of the Christian women of the United States against the liquor traffic, which culminated in the gospel temperance movement.
Published by the Office of the Christian Women in 1878, the book was written by Annie Wittenmyer, one of America's foremost female reformer, who served as the first National President of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). The Introduction was written by Frances Willard, who became the second president of the WCTU in 1879 and transformed it into the largest women's organization in the United States.
The book chronicles the "wonderful uprising" of Christian women against the liquor industry in the United States, documenting the Woman's Temperance Crusade, a period of intense activism and prayer-based protests against saloons and the liquor trade.
—Read the History of the woman’s temperance crusade from HathiTrust
Women crusaders in a bar room
The illustration shows women temperance advocates kneeling in prayer as men drink at a bar and a crowd looks in from outside. Captioned "A Crusade Scene.
Portrait of Eliza Thompson, Leader of the First Crusade Band
Portrait of Jennie Fowler Willing, President of the First Woman's National Temperance Convention
Portrait of Sarah Knowles Bolton, Assistant Corresponding Secretary of the Woman's National Christian Temperance Union
Portrait of Frances Barnes, superintendent of "Young Women's Work" for the Woman's Christian Temperance Union
Temperance Movement: or The Conflict Between Man and Alcohol
Temperance Movement: or The Conflict Between Man and Alcohol, by William Henry Blair, published by William E. Smythe Co. in 1888 also features portraits of women temperance leaders. The book explores the struggle against alcohol and its influence in society, emphasizing the moral and social dangers of intemperance. It highlights the critical role of women in the temperance movement, portraying them as moral guardians fighting for the well-being of families and communities. It discusses the activism of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), showcasing their efforts to promote prohibition, educate the public, and advocate for legislative change to curb alcohol consumption and its societal harms.
- Browse The temperance movement: or, The conflict between man and alcohol, by Henry William Blair from HathiTrust
Portrait of Anna Gordon, associate of Frances Willard
Portrait of abolitionist and temperance advocate Lucretia Mott
Daughters of America
Daughters of America, by Phebe A. Hanaford (1882) celebrates influential American women's achievements across fields like education, medicine, and social reform. The book gives particular attention to the temperance movement, highlighting women like Frances Willard who led the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in its fight against alcohol.
It documents how these temperance advocates connected alcohol consumption to family suffering, poverty, and domestic violence. Their work involved establishing reform organizations, delivering public lectures, organizing boycotts of alcohol sellers, and lobbying for prohibition legislation. The book portrays temperance activism as a cornerstone of women's moral authority and growing political influence in American society.
- Read Daughters of America; or, Women of the century, by Phebe A. Hanaford from HathiTrust
Portrait of author and activist Julia Ward Howe.
Portraits of the General Officers of the National WCTU
Portraits of six General Officers of the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Top Left: Lillian M. W. Stevens, Vice-President-at-large. Bottom Left: Helen M. Barker, Treasurer. Top Center: Frances E. Willard, President. Bottom Center: Frances E. Beauchamp, Ass't Exec. Sec. Top RIght: Katharine Lente Stevenson, Cor. (?) Sec'y. Bottom Right: Clara C. Hoffman, Rec. (?) Sec'y.
The General Officers of the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union
The image served as an illustration to the book The beautiful life of Frances E. Willard: A memorial volume, by Anna Adams Gordon, published by the Women's Temperance Publishing Association in 1898. The introduction was written by Lady Henry Somerset according to the bibliographic record, using the feminine version of her husband's peerage title.
Lady Henry Somerset, more precisely, Isabella Caroline Somerset, (née Somers-Cocks; 3 August 1851 – 12 March 1921), was a British philanthropist, temperance leader, and campaigner for women's rights. As president of the British Women's Temperance Association, she spoke at the first World's Woman's Christian Temperance Association convention in Boston in 1891.
- Read The beautiful life of Frances E. Willard: A memorial volume, by Anna Adams Gordon from the Internet Archive
From the Digital Alcohol Studies Archives
- A book review, written by Selden D. Bacon, who became the Director of the Center of Alcohol Studies, on a new biography about Frances Willard, entitled Frances Willard, From Prayer to Politics, by Mary Earhart in 1944. Published in the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, the review points out that Willard is properly portrayed as the leader of women, and the WCTU was not an end in itself for her, but rather a technique for a much larger purpose, the participation of women as equals in the struggle for a better world.
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