National Federation of Republican Women

The National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW) is the women's wing of the Republican Party in the United States.

Founded in 1938, it is a grassroots political organization with more than 1,600 local clubs in the 50 states and in the U.S. territories. Members at the local, state and national levels work to recruit and elect Republican candidates, to advocate the Party’s philosophy and initiatives, and to advance women in the political process. The NFRW's national headquarters are located in Alexandria, Virginia.

National membership is open to every Republican woman by way of her local club or through a national associate membership. Members of a local club also are granted membership in their state Federation.

Once an auxiliary of the Republican National Committee (RNC), the NFRW is financially and organizationally independent today. The goals of the organization are to:

The NFRW hosts a biennial convention in odd-numbered years to conduct organizational business, including the election of national officers, and to provide educational, leadership and networking opportunities for members.

Beginning in the late 1930s, Marion Martin, the assistant chairman of the Republican National Committee and National Committeewoman for Maine, saw a need for uniformity amongst the numerous Republican women’s clubs across the country. These clubs lacked a standard set of by-laws and were too detached from the Republican party, so Martin worked to present the goals of the women’s clubs as relevant to the male leadership within the party. After a national committee vote in December 1937, the National Federation of Women’s Republican Clubs was formed. The original 11 statewide Federations that organized as charter members were California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The first meeting was held in September 1938 at the Palmer House in Chicago, representing 85 clubs and 95,000 women. Acting as an auxiliary to the Republican National Committee, the NFWRC was designed primarily to educate members of party politics, to promote loyalty to the Republican Party, and to emphasise the potential roles of women within the party leadership. Pamphlets and study programs were disseminated to the clubs in order to ensure a standardized educational platform. Martin pushed for a more partisan outlook towards politics, hoping to spread Republican philosophy while still avoiding supporting controversial issues. When the United States entered into World War II, the NFWRC decreased its efforts to build their unified partisan organization. Twenty-five percent of American women worked for the wartime effort, moving away from Republican club meetings, and towards a more wide-ranging patriotic effort. The Federation avoided taking a stance on isolationism, pledging to continue an objective educational program. While criticized, the Federation believed this non-position to be the best way to support the Republican party and to support women becoming more involved in politics by developing their own informed opinions.

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