Mary Ware Dennett

Mary Coffin Ware Dennett (April 4, 1872 – July 25, 1947) was an American women's rights activist, pacifist, homeopathic advocate, and pioneer in the areas of birth control, sex education, and women's suffrage. She co-founded the National Birth Control League in 1915 together with Jessie Ashley and Clara Gruening Stillman. She founded the Voluntary Parenthood League, served in the National American Women's Suffrage Association, and co-founded the Twilight Sleep Association with Margaret Sanger. She also wrote The Sex Side of Life, a famous pamphlet on sex education and birth control. A legal case against her, United States v. Dennett, became the catalyst for overturning the Comstock laws.

Early life

Mary Coffin Ware Dennett was born April 4, 1872, in her hometown Worcester, Massachusetts. Dennett was the second child of four born to George and Vonie Ware. At age 10, her father died of cancer. Her mother supported the family by organizing European tours for young women. While her mother was absent on tours, Dennett and her siblings often lived with their Aunt Lucia Ames Mead. Dennett came from a family of social reformers.

Education

Dennett enrolled in the School of Art and Design in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in 1891 and graduated with first honors, then took a teaching position at the Drexel Institute of Art in Philadelphia in 1894. She also held a position at Drexel Institute teaching design and decoration from 1894 to 1897.

Marriage and children

Dennett married William Hartley Dennett, an architect, in 1900. They shared the ideal of the Arts and Crafts movement and soon bought a farmhouse in Framingham, Massachusetts. They founded an architectural and interior design firm. In addition to her work as an interior designer and guadamacile maker, Dennett continued to lecture and write about the Arts and Crafts movement.