Ruth May Fox
| Ruth May Fox | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 3rd general president of the Young Women | |
| 1929 – 1937 | |
| Called by | Heber J. Grant |
| Predecessor | Martha H. Tingey |
| Successor | Lucy Grant Cannon |
| First Counselor in the general presidency of the Young Women | |
| 1905 – 1929 | |
| Called by | Martha H. Tingey |
| Predecessor | Maria Young Dougall |
| Successor | Lucy Grant Cannon |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ruth May November 16, 1853 Westbury, England |
| Died | April 12, 1958 (aged 104) Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Resting place |
Salt Lake City Cemetery 40°46′37″N 111°51′29″W / 40.777°N 111.858°W |
| Spouse(s) | Jesse William Fox |
| Children | 12 |
| Parents | James May Mary A. Harding |
| Website | Ruth May Fox |
Ruth May Fox (November 16, 1853 – April 12, 1958) was a nineteenth-century English-born women's rights activist in the Territory of Utah. Fox was a poet, hymn writer, and a leader of youth in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Ruth May was born in Westbury, Wiltshire, England to James May and Mary Ann Harding. When May was five months old, her parents converted to Mormonism. Her mother died in childbirth when Ruth was 18 months old. May was sent to live with various relatives and Mormon families while her father was a traveling missionary. Lacking parental consistency, Ruth misbehaved often as a child. At one point she accidentally set her hair on fire, and another time she stepped in front of an oncoming train. At age 8, Ruth returned to live with her father in Yorkshire in a boarding house run by Mary Saxton. As an older child, Ruth enjoyed reciting poetry and telling stories and working alongside Mary Saxton's daughter Clara.
In 1865, James May emigrated to the United States and shortly thereafter sent for Ruth, Mrs. Saxton, and Clara. On their arrival in Philadelphia, James May married Mrs. Saxton, and he and the two girls found work in a textile mill to save money to go to Utah Territory. In 1867 the family traveled by covered wagon and on foot to Salt Lake City with Leonard Rice's company. After settling in the Ogden area, Ruth attended John Morgan's College in Salt Lake City for four months. When James bought a mill in Salt Lake City, Ruth worked for him operating equipment usually run by men. She felt that she should be paid a man's wages for the job since she was paid a lower wage as a woman.
On May 8, 1873, Ruth married Jesse W. Fox, Jr., a civil engineer. In 1888, Jesse Fox married Rosemary Johnson as a plural wife without Ruth's permission, although for most of his life, Jesse resided with Ruth. Ruth eventually became the mother of twelve children. Jesse lost his dry goods business and their home, but not their farm. Ruth was on her own to provide for her own children. In 1900 Ruth managed the Saint Omer Boarding house. In 1914 she worked as a typist for the LDS church's Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Association (YLMIA). During her time as a typist, her father's health was declining, and Ruth rented a home for her and her father near the YLMIA offices. In 1953, she had over 200 direct descendants.
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