Dr. Dio Lewis, officially Diocletian Lewis (1823-1886), was a temperance leader. However, he was also a preacher, feminist, social reformer, and food/health faddist. And many considered Lewis to be an eccentric. Background His father had been a “notorious drunkard.” Perhaps that led to his strong belief that alcohol was a great evil. Lewis illegally used …
Cora F. Stoddard was a leading proponent of temperance and National Prohibition of alcohol. She served for 30 years as the head of the Scientific Temperance Federation. Ms. Stoddard was the personal secretary of Mary Hunt. Hunt was founding head of the Department of Scientific Temperance Instruction in Schools and Colleges. That was an important …
Dr. Thomas Sewall was no ordinary doctor. And he was no ordinary temperance activist either. Sewall was born on April 16, 1786 in Hallowell, Maine. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1812. His major contribution to the temperance movement was his highly popular eight graphic drawings. He said they showed “alcohol diseased stomachs.” Sewall …
What is the Center for Alcohol Policy? What are its goals? How does it achieve them? I. Center for Alcohol Policy The Center for Alcohol Policy is a non-profit organization. The National Beer Wholesalers Association founded and funds it. That’s a trade group. The executive director for the Center is Mike Lashbrook. He was president …
Many early temperance societies were actually alcohol moderation organizations. That’s because ‘temperance’ means moderation. And it meant moderation to them. I. Alcoholic Drink Equivalence The temperance movement began by encouraging drinkers to consume in moderation. It didn’t try to enforce abstinence from all alcohol. Instead, it only called for people to abstain from liquor (distilled …
The Scientific Temperance Federation was formed in 1906 upon the death of Mary Hunt. She was a leader of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). Hunt was head of the WCTU’s powerful Department of Scientific Temperance Instruction in Schools and Colleges. Temperance textbooks needed Mary Hunt’s approval to be endorsed by the WCTU. And without …
Ernest Cherrington was a leader in the Anti-Saloon League (ASL) and temperance movement. He was also an important temperance writer and journalist. Cherrington was born in 1877 in Hamden, Ohio. After attending Ohio Wesleyan he taught school. However, he became increasingly concerned over the consumption of alcoholic beverages. He believed reflected a moral decline in …
Mary H. Hunt (Mary Hanchet Hunt) was born in 1830 and died in 1906. The amazing Mary Hunt became the single most powerful woman in the U.S. promoting temperance and prohibition. This is her incredible story that influences us even today. I. Amazing Story of Mary Hunt Ms. Hunt’s amazing story of success began in …
The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is the oldest voluntary, non-sectarian women’s organization in continuous existence in the world. It was also among the first organizations to keep a professional lobbyist in Washington, D.C. to promote its agenda. The organization is the “Woman’s” rather than “Women’s” Christian Temperance Union. That’s because it is the individual …
There are a number of events in temperance and prohibition history around the world. This is a calender of days for January through December. Typically, one event is listed for each day of the year. There are many thousands of events. Therefore, this is only a partial list from the many events in temperance history. A …
