Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists 1890-1920
Biography of Florence A. Wattles Bowers, 1887-1947
Photo from The Barre Daily Times, April 1913
By Noelle Fenwick, undergraduate student, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Organizer, Women's National Committee of the Socialist Party, Indiana, Pennsylvania; Candidate, Socialist Party, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Indiana; Lecturer, Socialist Party & Women's Suffrage, Indiana, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey
Florence Adeline Walters was born on December 7, 1887, in Crystal Lake, Illinois, to Wallace Delois Walters and Abigail (Bryan) Walters. The family lived in both Elwood and Kokoma, Indiana and changed their surname from "Walters" to "Wattles" sometime before 1910. Florence had one brother, Russell, and one sister, Agnes.
Wallace Wattles became involved with the Christian Socialist Party of America and ran for a few local and state offices in Indiana, though he was never elected. He published the book The Science of Getting Rich in 1910. Florence herself became involved with the Christian Socialist Party, as well; she began speaking publicly for suffrage and socialism by the age of twenty.
Between the years of 1911-1920, newspapers across several states covered Florence's lectures. A 1911 article seen in the Richmond Palladium states that, "Miss Wattles' address was one of the most successful ever given under Socialist auspices in this city." Additionally, in 1912 the New Ulm Review wrote that, "Miss Wattles is a slight, girlish-looking young woman; she hasn't in any degree the appearance of a political agitator but when she speaks her voice shows that it has been developed in the school of socialist oratory." A 1916 Indianapolis News article quoted Florence as stating, "We don't want to vote merely because it is our right ... We don't want to vote merely to get into practical politics. We don't want to vote in order to sit in the legislature or on the bench. We want to vote on behalf of the struggling masses, and to do good for those about us." Florence was a frequent speaker at Indiana suffrage gatherings.
Florence moved to New York City and worked at E.P. Dutton Publishing Company. She became the agency's director of publicity in 1925.
Florence married William G. Bowers, an electrical engineer for the New York Telephone Company, on July 25, 1921, in Manhattan, New York. The couple had no children. Florence died on November 23, 1947 and is buried in Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum in Hartsdale, New York.
Sources:
"Deaths: Florence Wattles Bowers." The Kokomo Tribune, November 1947, Kokomo, IN, pg. 31.
"Address by Miss Wattles." Indianapolis News, April 1916, Marion County, IN, pg.3.
"A Lesson." The Bulletin, March 1920, Marion County, IN, vol.12, no. 13., pg. 2.
Ancestry.com. "U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935." Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census, Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
"Announcements." Manchester Democrat, January 1917, Manchester, IA.
"Both Parties had Hides Lifted by Miss Wattles: Suffragist and Socialist Before Large Audience of Men and Women Gave Address on Politics." Richmond Palladium, November 1911, Richmond, IN, Vol. 36, no. 361, pg. 6.
"Chapter XIII: Indiana, Part I" Edited by Ida Husted Harper, 1851-1931; in History of Woman Suffrage, vol. 6: 1900-1920 (New York, NY: National American Woman Suffrage Association, 1922, originally published 1922), 174-188.
"Critic Pays Tribute to Florence Bowers, Publishing Author." The Kokomo Tribune, December 1947, Kokomo, IN, pg. 23.
"Dates for Speakers." Indiana Socialist Party Bulletin, September 1913, Marion County, pg. 1.
"Deaths: Florence Wattles Bowers." The Kokomo Tribune, November 1947, Kokomo, IN, pg. 31.
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 27 September 2020), memorial page for Florence A. Wattles Bowers (7 Dec 1887-Nov 1947), Find a Grave Memorial no. 213495347, citing Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum, Hartsdale, Westchester County, New York, USA; Maintained by Anonymous (contributor 49023542).
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 27 September 2020), memorial page for William Graham Bowers (1882-16 Sep 1958), Find a Grave Memorial no. 213495508, citing Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum, Hartsdale, Westchester County, New York, USA; Maintained by Anonymous (contributor 49023542).
"Florence Wattles Will Speak on 'The World After War.'" Perth Amboy Evening News, March 1918, Perth Amboy, NJ, pg. 1.
"Lists of Deaths here in 1947." The Kokomo Tribune, January 1948, Kokomo, IN, pg. 8.
"Local Happenings of the Last Week." Evening Times Republican, June 1917, Marshalltown, IA, pg. 2.
"No Anarchy Attempt: Socialism Discussed by Florence Wattles." The Richmond Palladium and Sun-Telegram, September 1913, Richmond, IN, pg. 3.
"New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W5R-591 : 3 June 2020), Florence W. Bowers, 1947.
"New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24WN-8X6 : 10 February 2018), William G. Bowers and Florence A. Wattles, 25 Jul 1921; citing Marriage, Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, New York City Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,653,311.
"Says Women Will Obtain Ballot: Miss Florence Wattles, Suffragist Worker, Speaks at High School." South Bend News-Times, December 1916, South Bend, IN, Vol. 33, no. 343, pg. 3.
"Socialist Lecture." New Ulm Review, October 1912, Brown County, MN, pg. 2.
"Socialist Lecture." Patriot Newspaper, March, 1912, Harrisburg, PA, pg. 2.
"State Center Chautauqua: Comes from Kokomo." Evening Times Republican, January 1917, Marshalltown, IA, pg. 10.
"Talk of the Town." The Barre Daily Times, April 1913, Barre, VT, pg. 5.
"The Class Conflict." The Barre Daily Times, April 1913, Barre VT, pg. 5.
"The Women's Department." The Marion Socialist, October 1912, Grant County, IN, pg. 4.
"Wallace D. Wattles." https://wallacedwattles.org/about-the-man-behind-the-secret-wallace-d-wattles-science-of-getting-rich-science-of-being-well-science-of-being-great/