Amelia Bloomer
Amelia Jenks Bloomer (
May 27,
1818-
December 30,
1914) was an
American women's rights and
temperance advocate. She presented her views in her own monthly paper,
The Lily, which she began publishing in
1849. When Amelia was 22, she married a lawyer by the name of Dexter Bloomer. One of the major causes promoted by Amelia was a change in dress standards for women so that they would be less restrictive. She supported the wearing of shorter skirts, but with undergarments reaching to the knees to preserve modesty. Eventually, these knee-length garments came to be known as "bloomers" after her. She moved to Iowa in 1852, and from 1871 until 1873, Amelia served as president of the Iowa Woman Suffrage Association. She died at Council Buffs, Iowa, on December 30th, 1894.