Vida Newsom

American clubwoman

Vida Newsom

Vida Newsom, from a 1919 publication

Born| January 4, 1873

Sandcreek Township, Bartholomew County, Indiana

Died| July 8, 1938 (aged 65)

Columbus, Indiana, US

Occupation(s)| Suffragist, clubwoman

Vida Newsom (January 4, 1873 – July 8, 1938) was an American suffragist and clubwoman, based in Columbus, Indiana. She was described in a 1925 headline as "One of State's Busiest Women."[1]

## Early life

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Vida Newsom was born in Sandcreek Township, Indiana, one of the nine children of Jesse Ruddick Newsom and Mary Cox Newsom. The Newsom family were Quakers.[2] She earned a bachelor's degree from Indiana University Bloomington in 1903, and a master's degree in 1906.[3]

## Career

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Newsom was active in the women's suffrage movement. She was president of the Columbus Franchise League from 1912 to 1920,[4] and first vice-president of the State Legislative Council of Indiana Women, from 1915 to 1921.[1] After suffrage was won, she became first president of the Columbus League of Women Voters, leading the new organization from 1920 to 1924. She also served in statewide and national offices for suffrage and voting rights.[3][5] She was president of the Indiana Federation of Women's Clubs,[6][7] and chaired various statewide committees in the federation, including fundraising, mental health, highways and memorial tree planting.[1][8][9] During World War I, she chaired the county women's Liberty Loan committee.[10]

Newsom took a particular interest in eugenics and mental health. She served as vice-president of the Indiana Society for Mental Hygiene, and was an advisor on mental health for the General Federation of Women's Clubs from 1926 to 1932.[3] She was secretary of the Bartholomew County Board of Charities, and from 1922 to 1923 president of the State Conference of Charities and Corrections.[1][11][12]

Newsom was also interested in historical commemoration and recreational spaces. She wrote a pageant for marking the Indiana state centennial in 1916,[13][14] was one of the founders of the Bartholomew County Historical Society in 1921,[15] and wrote articles about local history for the Indiana Magazine of History.[16][17] She compiled a history of Bartholomew County's war effort in 1919.[18] She was president of the Columbus Playground Association from 1911 to 1913, and was one of the leaders of the successful effort to create Turkey Run State Park. She served on a national commission on street and highway safety in 1924, appointed by Herbert Hoover.[1]

## Personal life

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Newsom died at home in 1938, aged 65 years, in Columbus.[19] Her family's farm, the Newsom–Marr Farm, is a historic site in Bartholomew County.[20]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e "Miss Vida Newsom One of State's Busiest Women". The Indianapolis Star. 1925-02-08. p. 50. Retrieved 2021-03-28 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ Long, Laura (1959-10-02). "Women, the 'Do-Gooders' of Yesteryear, Did a Lot of Good". The Republic. p. 21. Retrieved 2021-03-28 - via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ a b c LoPresti, Eric. "Biographical Sketch of Vida Newsom". Alexander Street Documents. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
4. ^ "Directory of League Issued". The Republic. 1918-01-16. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-03-28 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ "Prime Time: Sister Suffragettes". The Republic. August 22, 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
6. ^ "[Notes]". Indiana Magazine of History. 10 (1): 126–131\. 1914. ISSN 0019-6673. JSTOR 27785620.
7. ^ "Clubwomen of Indiana Add Peace to Subjects to Which They Are Striving to Turn State's Attention". The Indianapolis News. 1914-08-29. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-03-28 - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ Newsom, Vida (September 1927). "National Garden Week". National Plant, Flower, and Fruit Guild Magazine. 16: 15.
9. ^ Section, Indiana State Council of Defense Woman's (1919). Report of the Woman's Section of the Indiana State Council of Defense: From October, 1917, to April, 1919. W. B. Burford, contractor for state printing and binding.
10. ^ "Big County Meeting of Women's Committee". The Republic. 1918-09-19. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-03-28 - via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ The Indiana Bulletin of Charities and Correction. Board of State Charities. 1919. pp. 207–212, 331–332.
12. ^ "Gives Address at Conference". The Republic. 1922-10-10. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-03-28 - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ "Girl Rider Has Been Selected". The Columbus Republican. 1916-10-05. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-03-28 - via Newspapers.com.
14. ^ "Descendant to Take Part". The Republic. 1916-07-21. p. 4. Retrieved 2021-03-28 - via Newspapers.com.
15. ^ "The mission and the history of The Bartholomew County Historical Society". Bartholomew County Historical Society. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
16. ^ Newsom, Vida. "The Underground Railroad in Southeastern Indiana" Indiana Magazine of History 20(March 1924); via Wilbur H. Seibert Underground Railroad Collection, Ohio History Connection
17. ^ Newsom, Vida (March 1924). "Phases of Southeastern Indiana History". Indiana Magazine of History. 20: 37–58.
18. ^ "Work Underway for War History of this County". The Republic. 1919-06-20. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-03-28 - via Newspapers.com.
19. ^ "Clubwoman Dies in Columbus Home". The Indianapolis Star. 1938-07-12. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-03-28 - via Newspapers.com.
20. ^ Newsom-Marr Farm, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service.

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