Caroline Earle White
| Caroline Earle White | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Caroline Earle 1833 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | 1916 (aged 82–83) |
| Known for | Anti-vivisection activism |
| Spouse(s) | Richard P. White (married 1856) |
| Parent(s) | Thomas Earle (father) |
| Relatives | Pliny Earle (grandfather), Ralph Earle |
Caroline Earle White (1833–1916) was an American philanthropist and anti-vivisection activist. She co-founded the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA) in 1867, founded its women's branch (WPSPCA) in 1869, and founded the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) in 1883.
White was also an active clubwoman, and was involved in literary societies and women's suffrage, and worked with organizations that helped the poor obtain medical services.
Caroline Earle was born in Philadelphia on September 28, 1833, to Quaker parents Thomas Earle and Mary Hussey. Thomas Earle was a successful Philadelphia lawyer who was devoted to the abolitionist cause and often represented both free and fugitive African Americans. Earle also wrote the new constitution for Pennsylvania and was a candidate for Vice President when the Anti-Slavery party had its first Presidential ticket in 1840. Earle’s mother, Mary Hussey, was a cousin to Lucretia Mott and was an abolitionist and a suffragist.
Earle was educated on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. She studied astronomy, and was well versed in Latin and spoke German, French, Italian, and Spanish. Her family’s wealth gave her many educational opportunities not available to other girls of the time.
In 1856 Earle married attorney Richard P. White, a member of one of the most respected Catholic families in Pennsylvania. Richard White would later open a firm with Caroline’s brother, under the name Earle and White. After a year of study White converted to Catholicism. She and her husband had one son, Thomas Earle White.
After her marriage, White had many intellectual and humanitarian pursuits to occupy her time. She wrote and published several travel guides, short stories, and novels, including A Holiday in Spain and Norway, Love in the Tropics: A Romance of the South Seas, and An Ocean Mystery. Many of her works received critical acclaim. After her conversion to Catholicism, she became president of the St. Vincent’s Aid Society, an organization that donated medical services and supplies to poor and orphaned children. She also served as chairwoman of the Ladies Auxiliary and the American Catholic Historical Society, and as vice president of the Browning Society, a women’s literary club. She was also a supporter of women’s suffrage.
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