Clara Conway Institute
| Clara Conway | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
August 14, 1844 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Died | November 16, 1904 (aged 60) Memphis, Tennessee |
| Resting place | Calvary Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Schoolteacher, principal |
| Organization | The Nineteenth Century Club |
| Known for | Clara Conway Institute |
Clara Conway (August 14, 1844 – November 16, 1904) was an American teacher and political activist. She founded the Clara Conway Institute in Memphis, Tennessee and was a founding member of the Nineteenth Century Club in 1890.
Clara Conway was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 14, 1844. She attended the St. Agnes Academy in Memphis, but received most of her education at home. She moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1864.
Conway began her career as a public school teacher. Developing a strong interest in providing women with a quality education, Conway was the first Tennessee woman to assist in the organization of teachers' institutes, and the first southern woman to attend the teachers' summer school in the North, when she took classes at Martha's Vineyard Summer Institute.
Conway later became principal of the Alabama Street School and the Market Street School. In 1873, Conway was proposed for superintendent of public schools in Memphis as part of a political fight to have female educators recognized for their merits. Conway did not get the position and female educators did not receive equal pay, but the controversial event was a critical moment connecting female empowerment to the larger community.
Conway remained heavily involved in educational issues for women, speaking publicly at the National Educational Association in Madison, Wisconsin, on the needs of southern women in 1884 and 1886, and in 1887 she was elected a member of the National Council.
Conway's brand of activism was less based on maternalism than much of women's political activism of the time period. Her activism was motivated by women's independence. Conway argued that a woman's duty is first and foremost to herself, not to her husband, which was a common viewpoint even among female activists.
In 1889, Conway and Nellie O'Donnell, a newly elected female school superintendent, traveled to Nashville to personally face sexist male legislators who had introduced bills prohibiting women from becoming superintendents. Scores of female educators and prominent citizens rallied to support the women, and the bill was defeated. Instead, a bill was passed confirming women's eligibility as school superintendents.
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