
“We have kept our lively characteristic pioneer spirit, as well as our flair for cooperative action … It is difficult to visualize today the hardihood, vision, and enthusiasm of the small body of women who pioneered fifty years ago. Yet the organization has hewed to the line, & adapted its original & still vital purposes to a changing world.”
Mrs. Herbert B. Hosmer, First History chair and WNF&GA archivist,
on the occasion of the Association’s 50th anniversary 1964
The Founding Mothers of WNF&GA were women of vision and integrity, educated women of means who believed in the inherent right of women to live equally with men. They were pioneers, with progressive ideas and the fortitude to make them real.
Here’s a look at three Michigan women whose impact on the Association has been profound & lasting.
Louisa Yeomans King
1863-1948
Founder & First President of National WNF&GA & Michigan WNF&GA
Internationally known garden author & speaker, she helped found Garden Clubs of America
Clara Bryant Ford
1866-1950
National WNF&GA President 1927-1934
Suffragist, Gardener, Director of Michigan League of Women Voters,
Matilda Dodge Wilson
1883-1967
National WNF&GA President 1964-66
Businesswoman, preservationist, art collector, horsewoman, farmer and philanthropist.