Ruth Hale (feminist)

Ruth Hale (1887 – September 18, 1934) was a freelance writer who worked for women's rights in New York City, USA, during the era before and after World War I. She was married to journalist Heywood Broun and was an associate of the Algonquin Round Table.

Hale was a founder of the Lucy Stone League, an organization whose motto was "My name is the symbol for my identity and must not be lost." Hale's cause led her to fight for women to be able to legally preserve their maiden name after marriage. She challenged in the courts any government edict that would not recognize a married woman by the name she chose to use.

Hale was born in Rogersville, Tennessee, USA in 1887. At age 13 she entered the Hollins Institute (today Hollins University) in Roanoke, Virginia. Three years later she left to attend Drexel Academy of Fine Art (today Drexel University) in Philadelphia, where she studied painting and sculpture, but writing was her true calling.

When Hale was 18 she became a journalist in Washington, DC, writing for the Hearst syndicate. She was a sought-after writer and socialite, and attended parties at the White House when President Woodrow Wilson was in office. She worked at the Washington Post until she went back to Philadelphia to become drama critic for the Philadelphia Public Ledger. Hale also dabbled in sports writing, which was uncommon for women to do at the time.

...
Wikipedia