Washington Women's History Consortium
Women's Clubs and Organizations
Ruth Karr McKee, President, 1913-1915
Washington State Federation of Women's Clubs
Mrs. James S. McKee, Ruth Karr, the ninth President of WSFWC was the first President born in Washington State. The daughter of James Anderson and Abigail Walker Karr, Ruth first saw the light of day in a log cabin in Hoquiam.
Ruth Karr married James S. McKee in Honolulu, May 6, 1902. Their home was in Longview for sometime where Mr. McKee was engaged in business. Mrs. McKee was the first woman to be appointed a member of a Board of Regents of an institution of higher learning in the state of Washington. She served on the Board of Regents for the University of Washington during the years 1917-1926. The Ruth Karr McKee Hall, a dormitory for girls on the university campus, is named in her honor.
The two conventions, the eighteenth and nineteenth, at which Mrs. McKee presided, were held in Raymond, July 20-24, 1914 and in Spokane, June 8-11, 1915.
Mrs. McKee's administration is remembered for the turbulent library situation, the endowment fund, tile revision of the bylaws and the innovation of her weekly letters to the newspapers.
In her library report, Mrs. Howard says, "We were assured by the majority of the commission that they were unable, on account of the existing laws and lack of time, to do aggressive library extension work, and that in their opinion another sort of commission should be created. One member of the commission summed the matter up thus: "The people are asking more of the library commission, than one so constituted can give."
The men acknowledged that they had audited the accounts but had met seldom and most of them agreed that they would like to be relieved of a duty which they had not performed with ardor. In spite of letters to candidates, addresses before organizations of various types, and press publicity, the bill for which the Library and Legislative Chairman tried so laboriously to have enacted into law, failed to pass. It was a dire disappointment.
The Endowment Fund which had been started but two years before, with a nucleus of $275, reached the sumptuous amount of $3,000 before Mrs. McKee left the chair.
A thorough revision of the bylaws was very essential. Changes had been made now and then from the beginning and they were rather ragged. With Miss Bessie Winsor as chairman, a much needed task was well done.
The plan initiated by Mrs. McKee of sending weekly letters containing reports of committees to a number of newspapers over the state, necessitated an immense amount of work but gave much necessary information to many clubwomen. It also awakened the state press to its importance and to a realization that the Federation, through its President, had something worthwhile to send out each week.
The Western Woman's Outlook, the official organ of the Federation, devoted columns to its work and that of other women's organizations, but it did not reach as many readers as the local papers. It was privately owned and because of its high standards was endorsed by these groups for their publicity. In the year 1914, prohibition was up for a vote of the people. Because the Western Woman's Outlook favored and carried letters in support of prohibition, the liquor interests carried a campaign against it. The paper perished at a great personal loss to the owner and editor, Mrs. Helen N. Stevens.
The State Board of Land Commissioners, in cooperation with the Federation, were advocating the reservation of small tracts of timber located along the main highways traversing the agricultural districts of the state and were asking favorable legislation for such a project from the legislature.
A second project concerned the preservation of the natural beauties of the mountain road leading to Rainier National Park. It was adopted at the convention, that at each convention city, a tree, to be known as the Federation Tree, be planted with proper services. The first of such services was in Spokane.
A wave of interest was moving over the country relative to rural communities and people. The General Federation added "Rural Conditions" as another section of its Education Department.
The committees of Food Sanitation, Health, Home Economics, Literature and Music kept in touch with movements of progress in the state.
A plea was made for individual clubs to join the General Federation. This was before the state adopted universal membership.
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