Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists, 1890-1920
Biography of Maud Huntington Read Loofbourow, 1880-1930
By Patricia Lyn Scott, independent historian; co-editor, Women in Utah History: Paradigm or Paradox? Logan, UT: Utah State University Press, 2005.
Director, Utah Women's Republican Club.
Maud Huntington Read was born on July 7, 1880 in Helena, Montana, the fourth of six children, to Francis Slaughter and Laura Thoroughman Read. She married Frederick Charles Loofbourow, a prominent Salt Lake City attorney, on October 31, 1901 in Helena, Montana. They became the parents of two sons and one daughter, Frederick Read Loofbourow (1904-1992), Leonidas Thoroughman Loofbourow (1906-1935), and Frances Huntington Loofbourow (1907-1933). She died suddenly on October 4, 1930, from complications related to an emergency appendectomy.
Maud's suffrage activity started with her election as a director of the Republican Women in 1913 and seemed to continue until 1917. Being the wife of a prominent attorney who became the district attorney and then a judge, she appeared frequently in the Salt Lake City society pages. She was an active member of the Ladies Literary Club and the Utah Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy. She was a committed member of the Women's Republican Club and for more than two decades was involved in its wide range of activities serving in various positions including director, vice-president, and secretary. The Club played an important role in the women's suffrage movement acting as a partner in Utah's efforts.
Maud Huntington Loofbourow was recognized as a gracious hostess and often chaired hospitality committees welcoming national suffrage leaders to Salt Lake City. For example, in October 1916, she served on the welcoming committee greeting Miss Maud Younger, a lobbyist for the Congressional Union. While it is unclear whether she was a member of the Utah Chapter of the National Woman's Party, Loofbourow stood alongside its President welcoming visitors to its Salt Lake City headquarters.
SOURCES:
"Maud Huntington Read." http://www.familysearch.com/
"Friends Mourn--Operation Fatal to Wife of Prominent Salt Lake Attorney," Salt Lake Telegram, October 4, 1930, 2. http://www.newspapers.com/image/288753166. Accessed: August 29, 2018.
"Montana State Historical Society, Helena, Montana. County Marriages, 1865-1950." Certificate #3285. http://www/ancestry.com. Accessed: August 23, 2018.
"Society: Women's Party Entertains," Salt Lake Herald-Republican, October 5, 1916, 6. http://www.newspapers.com/image/. Accessed: February 18, 2019.
"Suffrage Campaigner Warmly Greeted by Utah Workers Tells Women President Wilson Couldn't Find Time to Help Them," Salt Lake Herald-Republican, October 5, 1916, 16. http://www.newspapers.com/image/. Accessed: February 18, 2019.