Founded in 1883, the Texas Woman’s Christian Temperance Union supported the policies of the national Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. It promoted total abstinence from alcoholic beverages, the passage and enforcement of the 18th U.S. Constitutional Amendment, and the education of Texas citizens on the harmful effects of alcohol and tobacco. The organization also supported dry candidates in local, state, and national political races; opposed the use of medical prescriptions for whiskey and other spirits; and engaged in other political and social issues, such as women’s suffrage.
Source:
McArthur, Judith N.
Composed of newspaper clippings, the Texas Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WTCU) Scrapbook, 1922-1941, documents the activities of the Texas’ chapter of the WCTU and its president Lala Fay Watts, primarily during Prohibition. The clippings discuss the chapter’s annual conventions, elections, meetings, as well as the national organization’s golden jubilee and conventions in Texas. The scrapbook also describes the political agenda of the Texas WTCU, including its opposition to presidential candidate Alfred Smith, immorality in beauty contests, medical prescriptions for whiskey, and illegal liquor trafficking.
This collection is open for research use.
Texas Woman’s Christian Temperance Union Scrapbook, 1922-1941, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s “History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project,” 2009-2011.