Amelia Bloomer, a Biography: Part I, the Lily of Seneca Falls

Born and reared in New York, Amelia Jenks Bloomer worked during most of her early life as a temperance leader. Married to Dexter Bloomer, she continued her temperance activities, writing newspaper articles. During this time she joined the suffragette movement, and her newspaper, the 'Lily,' became the principal outlet for her views after 1850. Bloomer pioneered a change in women's clothing, although she was mocked for wearing the infamous pants named for her. With Elizabeth Cady Stanton she campaigned for women's suffrage, and in 1854, she moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa, continuing publication of the 'Lily' there. [K. E. Gilmont/S]