Emmeline B. Wells
A formidable Mormon editor and suffragist who used her newspaper to champion women's independence for nearly four decades.
1828–1921 (age 93)·American journalist, editor, poet, women's rights advocate, and diarist·Birthday: February 29
Biography
Emmeline B. Wells was a force of intellect and faith who shaped the voice of Latter-day Saint women during a period of intense outside scrutiny. After migrating to Utah and entering into a plural marriage, she found her calling not just in her family but in her pen. For 37 years, she steered the Woman's Exponent, a newspaper by and for women, turning it into a platform that argued for female suffrage, economic self-reliance, and the dignity of plural wives. She navigated a complex space, advocating for women's rights within the nation while simultaneously defending her religious community against anti-polygamy legislation. Her work built bridges; she corresponded with national suffrage leaders like Susan B. Anthony and represented Utah at major suffrage conventions. In her eighties, she capped her service by becoming the general president of the Relief Society, directing one of the oldest and largest women's organizations in the world.
#1 When Emmeline Was Born
The biggest hits of 1828
Emmeline's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1828Born
1833Started school
1841Became a teenager
1844Could drive
1846Could vote
1849Turned 21
1858Turned 30
1868Turned 40
President: Andrew Johnson
1878Turned 50
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1888Turned 60
President: Grover Cleveland
1898Turned 70
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1908Turned 80
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1921Died at 93
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
Key Achievements
- Edited the Woman's Exponent, a influential LDS women's newspaper, for 37 years from 1877 to 1914.
- Served as the fifth General President of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1910 to 1921.
- Led the Utah Woman's Suffrage Association and was a Utah delegate to national suffrage conventions.
- Was a prolific diarist, leaving behind 47 volumes that provide a crucial record of pioneer and women's history.
Did You Know?
She was a plural wife to two prominent LDS figures: Newel K. Whitney and, after his death, Daniel H. Wells.
Susan B. Anthony once said of her, "She is a fine woman, a credit to her sex and to the nation."
She successfully lobbied for the state of Utah to be the first to elect a woman as a state senator, Martha Hughes Cannon.
Her face is included in a stained-glass window in the Utah State Capitol honoring the state's founding women.
“Let woman speak for herself; she has the right of freedom of speech.”
