Helen Kendrick Johnson

Helen Kendrick Johnson
Born	Helen Louise Kendrick (1844-01-04)January 4, 1844 Hamilton,New York
Died	January 3, 1917(1917-01-03)(aged 72)
Occupation(s)	Children's Author, Poet,Anti-suffragistactivist and writer
Spouse	Rossiter Johnson

Helen Kendrick Johnson(January 4, 1844 – January 3, 1917) was an American writer, poet, and prominent activist opposing thewomen's suffragemovement.

Early life

Helen Kendrick was born in Hamilton, New York toAsahel Clark Kendrick,a professor in Greek atUniversity of Rochesterand Anne Elizabeth Kendrick (born Hopkins) who died in 1851 after the birth of Helen's third sister. After the death of her mother, Helen aged 7 spent much of her childhood living with her aunt inClinton, New Yorkuntil 1860 when she spent time inSavannah, Georgiawith her father's brothers leaving in 1861 due to the outbreak of theAmerican Civil War.In 1863 she enrolled as a student in theOread Institute,inWorcester, Massachusettsand studied there until June, 1864. After the end of the Civil War she briefly returned to Savannah and spent the rest of her childhood between there, an aunt's house inUtica, New Yorkand her father's house inRochester, New Yorkwhere she remained until her marriage.

Marriage and writing career

After marrying the newspaper editorRossiter Johnson,in 1869 she began writing books, children's literature, and travel articles.

Johnson's papers are held by theNew York Public Library.

Activism

Both Helen and her husband were active in the anti-suffrage movement.From 1894–1896 she was editor of the American Woman’s Journal and founded the Meridian Club in 1886. Rossiter was author of a pamphlet entitled,Why Women Do Not Want the Ballot.In 1897 Helen wrote what is often considered the best summary of the arguments against woman suffrage:Woman and the Republic,in which she argued that women didn't need the vote to establish more legal, economic and other equality and that women's role in thedomestic spherewas essential for maintenance of the American republic. She was openly critical of the writings ofElizabeth Cady Stantonand her workThe Woman's Biblelinking it to radicalism andsocialism.During her time as an anti-suffragette activist she addressed severallegislative committeein Albany and Washington and wrote many newspaper articles and pamphlets on the subject. In 1910 she founded theGuidon Club,an anti-suffragette organization dedicated to the study of politics and government.

Books

• Our Familiar Songs and Those Who Made Them; more than three hundred standard songs of the English-speaking race, arranged with piano accompaniment, and preceded by sketches of the writers and histories of the songs(1881)
• Woman and the republic; a survey of the woman-suffrage movement in the United States(Appleton, New York, 1897)

External links

• Works by Helen Kendrick JohnsonatProject Gutenberg
• Works by or about Helen Kendrick Johnsonat theInternet Archive
• Works by Helen Kendrick JohnsonatLibriVox(public domain audiobooks)
• Full text of Woman and the Republic (1913)Archived2016-03-04 at theWayback Machine
• "Johnson, Rossiter".Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography.1892.