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Legendary Women

Wed, 09/30/2020 - 5:00 am

There are some who believe that women, if they did not have the right to vote, would not have had businesses or the success women have in general, today. That is not entirely the case according to the website entrepreneur.com in an article, “16 Legendary Women Entrepreneurs” written by Kristin Chessman, published on August 2, 2008. Listed below are some very successful women during the women’s suffrage movement.

1739 Eliza Lucas Pinckney

Business Hall of Fame - At the age of 16, Pinckney took over her father’s plantations near Charles Town, in the Province of South Carolina. After realizing that the growing textile industry was creating a need for new dyes, Pinckney began making a high-quality blue indigo dye in 1739. Her creation was a success: Indigo soon ranked second to rice as a South Carolina export crop. She went on to produce flax, hemp, silk and figs. Pinckney died in 1793, but her legend lives on. She became the first woman inducted into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame in 1989.

1766 Mary Katherine Goddard

Spreading the Word - Mary Katherine Goddard grew up in New London, Connecticut, before moving to Providence, Rhode Island, with her mother in 1762. Her famous firsts began when she became the first woman publisher in America in 1766. In 1775, Goddard became the first American woman postmaster in Baltimore, Maryland. But she is most famous for printing the first copy of the Declaration of Independence that included the names of all the signers. Goddard remained postmaster until she was replaced in 1789, then continued to work as a printer and bookseller until her death in 1816.

1875 Lydia Pinkham

The Ann Landers of the 1800s - Some would call her the Ann Landers or Dr. Ruth of the 1800s. In 1875, Lydia Estes Pinkham of Lynn, Massachusetts, converted her herbal home remedies into a big business by skillfully marketing her products toward women and educating them about health issues. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound became one of the best-known patent medicines of the 19th century. Pinkham was deemed a crusader for women's health in an age when women's needs weren't being met by the medical community. Cooper Laboratories bought the company in 1968, though pills and a liquid stamped with Pinkham's name are still available at some drugstores.

1905 Madam C.J. Walker

Carving the Path for Women Entrepreneurs - Considered one of the 20th century's most successful women entrepreneurs, Madam C.J. Walker built her empire out of nothing. Her parents were former slaves, and she was orphaned at the age of 7. In 1905, she created Madam Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower, a scalp conditioning and healing formula. Walker had a personal connection to the product since she suffered from a scalp ailment that caused her to lose most of her hair. She eventually expanded her business to Central America and the Caribbean. By 1917, Walker held one of the first national meetings of businesswomen in Philadelphia, the Madam C.J. Walker Hair Culturists Union of America convention. Walker's hard work and perseverance carved a path for women entrepreneurs, the African-American hair-care and cosmetics industry, and the African-American community as a whole.

1909 Elizabeth Arden

Making Over America - She brought makeup from the stage to everyday life and slowly developed a global empire. Elizabeth Arden, born Florence Nightingale Graham in Woodbridge, Ontario, moved to New York at the age of 30 to pursue her dream of building a cosmetics corporation. There she began working with a chemist to create a beauty cream, something new for the cosmetics industry at that time. After traveling to Paris in 1912, Arden became the first person to introduce the concept of eye makeup to American women and offered the first makeovers in her 5th Avenue salon. Arden died in 1966, but her brand became as well-known across the U.S. as Singer sewing machines and Coca-Cola. At the end of its fiscal year in June 2007, the company reported $1.1 billion in net sales, up more than 18 percent from $955 million in 2006.

1910 Coco Chanel

Revolutionizing Fashion One Accessory at a Time - "May my legend prosper and thrive. I wish it a long and happy life." Coco Chanel's legend certainly has lived on since she died in 1971. At the time of her death, Chanel's fashion empire brought in more than $160 million a year. The fashionista, born in Saumur, France, opened her first shop in 1910 selling only women's hats. In 1921, the company introduced Chanel No. 5, the first perfume to be sold worldwide. From there, the name Chanel became known across the world. Today, Chanel creations continue to attract a wealthy, celebrity-filled consumer base. Chanel will forever be associated with her little back dress, her timeless suits, shoes, purses and jewelry. As Christian Dior said, "With a black pullover and 10 rows of pearls, she revolutionized fashion."