Florence Terry Griswold

Florence Terry Griswold (May 28, 1875 – July 7, 1941) was an American cattlewoman and rancher from Texas. She was the first woman delegate of the Texas Cattle Raisers Association to attend the Trans-Mississippi Convention and for several years, the only woman delegate. A staunch supporter of women's equality, she worked as a suffragist, served as a Republican National Convention Delegate for many years and later fought for equal pay for women. She is most known as the founder of the Pan-American Round Tables in 1916, which has grown from a single club begun in San Antonio, Texas, to an international NGO with over 1400 branches.

For the Connecticut art patron, see Florence Griswold.
Florence Terry Griswold
Florence Brundage, 1910 delegate to the Trans-Mississippi Cattlemen's Convention
Born
Florence T. Terry

(1875-05-28)May 28, 1875
Dimmit County, Texas
DiedJuly 7, 1941(1941-07-07) (aged 66)
San Antonio, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Other namesFlorence Terry Shaw
Occupationrancher, community worker, suffragist
Years active1908-1941
Known forfounding the Pan-American Round Tables

Early life

Florence T. Terry was born on May 28, 1875, on La Pendencia, a ranch located between Eagle Pass and Carrizo Springs, Texas[1] to Louisa James (née Lamkin) and Judge William Theodore Terry.[2][3] Terry's grandfather, Constant Terry, was a prominent settler in south Texas and had urged his son, who had earned a law degree in New York to move west. The young couple settled on the ranch and Theodore worked in nearby Eagle Pass as a lawyer. He became one of the first federal judges in Southwest Texas and built his ranch to an extensive size. Louisa and Theodore had four children: Annie Louise, Alice, William Nathaniel and Florence, the youngest child. From an early age, she was bilingual.[4]

On September 5, 1894, in Carrizo Springs, she married Felix Motlow Shaw, a rancher and cattleman.[2][5] Felix was well known among fellow ranchers having been one of the two ranchers, who introduced shorthorn bulls to the area.[4] Subsequently, the couple had four children: Ruth, Adele, Hazel and Felix Jr. Initially they made their home in Webb County, Texas.[6][7][8] Later, they maintained a home in San Antonio at 323 Woodlawn Avenue as well as maintaining their ranch in Dimmit County.[2] On July 10, 1908, Shaw's husband Felix became overheated and had a stroke, when working on his ranch. He was transported via train to Uvalde and then driven by car to his home in San Antonio. He died a week later on 18 July 1908, leaving the widow and her four children his estate.[2]

Career

Upon Felix's death, Shaw took over his business and operated as a cattlewoman and rancher.[2][8] Because the life insurance company refused to pay, Shaw sued and was successful in her claim.[2][9] Managing the ranch, she doubled the holdings her husband had left her and by 1910, had over 100,000 acres with 5,000 head of cattle on her ranches in Webb and Dimmit counties. She also managed a 500-acre farm in Dimmit county.[10] Shaw was one of the 1909 delegates, and the only woman sent by the Texas Cattle Raisers Association to the 1909 Trans-Mississippi Convention in Denver.[11] On 29 September 1910 at her home, Shaw married her second husband Spencer Patterson Brundage, a real estate partner in the firm of Hust and Brundage.[2][12][13][Notes 1] The couple immediately left for an extended month long holiday in the east,[13] but were back in Texas in time for her to attend the Trans-Mississippi Convention, where once again, she was the only woman delegate.[10]

After her second marriage, Brundage became more socially active, joining such organizations as the Reading Club and the San Antonio Woman's and Symphony Society. Her husband became vice president of the International Club, to promote the city and provide hospitality to tourists from Mexico.[2] She also joined the women's suffrage movement, attending the State Convention for Equal Franchise in 1913, serving as the corresponding secretary for the San Antonio Equal Suffrage Society, and visiting with Congressmen throughout the state.[14][15] By the end of 1913, the couple had divorced and Brundage resumed use of the name of Shaw.[2][16] She married her third husband John Case Griswold, a real estate clerk at A. C. Dauchy Company, on June 8, 1914, and the two settled into her San Antonio home. Her marriage did not stop her campaign for women's rights, as she became a "frequent, featured speaker" on behalf of enfranchisement. She also began to hold informal meetings of women to improve international relationships with Latin American women.[2]

With the end of the Mexican Revolution and the influx of women and children refugees, to whom she opened her home, Griswold formalized the international meetings. Believing that businessmen and politicians pursued self-serving interests, she was convinced that women could help create bridges by familiarizing themselves with other cultures and building networks. To that end, she called together a group of friends at the Menger Hotel on October 16, 1916, to create the Pan American Round Table, for which she served as first Director General.[17] As the organization expanded to several branches in Texas, Griswold established the Pan American Round Tables of Texas in 1922 and became the first Director General of the state organization.[18]

In 1924, Griswold was elected as Republican National Committeewoman for Texas and served for eight years,[19] striving to improve the rights for women. She was particularly in favor of pay equality for men and women performing equal work, as well as unpaid labor for domestic service being included as an essential part of the economy.[20] She remained politically active in the national Republican Party events and served as a chair for the election campaign of Wendell Willkie.[21][22]

Death and legacy

Griswold died on July 7, 1941, in San Antonio, Texas.[23] The Pan American Round Tables has grown into an international organization with over 1400 branches located in each country of the Western Hemisphere.[24] In 2016, the organization celebrated its centennial with a convention honoring its founder.[2][25] The Florence Terry Griswold Scholarship is awarded annually by the Alliance of Pan American Round Tables to allow Latin American students to study in the United States.[18]

Notes
  1. Allen's newspaper account shows the marriage took place on September 29, 1910,[2] but the record shows that was the date the license was issued. The date of the marriage on the license shows September 20th, which precedes the license date. Recordation was October 1, 1910.[12] A newspaper article from The Galveston Daily News shows the couple were married on Thursday evening, confirming the date of September 29th.[13]
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References

Citations
  1. The Del Rio News Herald 1990, p. 4.
  2. Allen 2016.
  3. Texas State Registrar 1941, p. 195.
  4. Marchbanks 1983, pp. 5-11.
  5. Texas Marriages 1894, p. 68.
  6. The San Antonio Gazette 1908, p. 10.
  7. U. S. Census 1900, p. 4A.
  8. U. S. Census 1910, p. 5A.
  9. The San Antonio Light 1908, p. 5.
  10. The San Antonio Light and Gazette 1910, p. 10.
  11. The Corsicana Daily Sun 1909, p. 1.
  12. Texas Marriages 1910, p. 394.
  13. The Galveston Daily News 1910, p. 26.
  14. The San Antonio Light & March 16, 1913, p. 9.
  15. The Houston Post 1914, p. 6.
  16. The San Antonio Light & November 23, 1913, p. 18.
  17. Frantz 2010.
  18. Trotter 1967.
  19. The Laredo Times 1932, p. 6.
  20. The San Antonio Light 1930, p. 2.
  21. The Laredo Times 1936, p. 2.
  22. The San Antonio Express 1940, p. 11.
  23. The Brownsville Herald 1941, p. 16.
  24. Rosales 2006, p. 340.
  25. Valenzuela 2016.

Bibliography
  • Allen, Paula (April 23, 2016). "South Texas ranch woman founded international movement". San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio, Texas. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Frantz, Helen B. (June 15, 2010). "Pan American Round Table". Handbook of Texas Online. Denton, Texas: Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Marchbanks, Lois Terry (1983). "Biography of Mrs. Florence Terry Griswold". The Pan American Round Table. San Antonio, Texas: Avon Behren Press. pp. 5–11. OCLC 10025789 – via Pan American Round Table of Texas.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Rosales, F. Arturo (2006). Dictionary of Latino Civil Rights History. Houston, Texas: Arte Publico Press. p. 340. ISBN 978-1-61192-039-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Trotter, Mrs. Clyde P. (February 7, 1967). Pan American Round Table Movement (Speech). Meeting of the Pan American Round Table One, Spring Valley Country Club. Dallas, Texas: Pan American Round Tables of Texas Interchange Library. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Valenzuela, Liliana (April 4, 2016). "100 years of cultivating sisterhood in the Americas". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "1900 United States Census: Webb County Texas, Justice Precinct 4". Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. June 7, 1900. NARA microfilm publication T623. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  • "1910 United States Census: Bexar County Texas, San Antonio City". Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. April 18, 1910. NARA microfilm publication T624. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  • "Coalition Organized to Back Wilkie". San Antonio, Texas: The San Antonio Express. July 31, 1940. p. 11. Retrieved 21 May 2017 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  • "Felix M. Shaw Passes Away". San Antonio, Texas: The San Antonio Gazette. July 18, 1908. p. 10. Retrieved 21 May 2017 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  • "Florence Terry Griswold". FamilySearch. Austin, Texas: State Registrar Office, Texas Deaths, 1890-1976. 7 August 1941. Certificate #30691. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  • "Mrs. Brundage is Only Woman Delegate at the Big Congress". San Antonio, Texas: The San Antonio Light and Gazette. November 24, 1910. p. 10. Retrieved 21 May 2017 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  • "Mrs. Griswold Dies". The Brownsville Herald. Brownsville, Texas. July 8, 1941. p. 16. Retrieved 21 May 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Mrs. Griswold Ouster is Slated". The Laredo Times. Laredo, Texas. May 25, 1932. p. 6. Retrieved 21 May 2017 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  • "The Pan American Movement". Del Rio, Texas: The Del Rio News Herald. April 18, 1990. p. 4. Retrieved 21 May 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Sues on Policy". San Antonio, Texas: The San Antonio Light. November 8, 1908. p. 5. Retrieved 21 May 2017 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  • "Suffragettes Prepare for Convention". San Antonio, Texas: The San Antonio Light. March 16, 1913. p. 9. Retrieved 21 May 2017 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  • "Texas Marriages, 1837-1973: Felix M. Shaw/Florence Terry". FamilySearch. Carrizo Springs, Texas: Dimmit County Records Office. September 5, 1894. p. 68. Film #1018631. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  • "Texas Marriages, 1837-1965: Spencer P. Brundage/Florence T. Shaw". San Antonio, Texas: Bexar County Records Office. October 1, 1910. p. 394. FHL microfilm #24933. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  • "Texas Suffragist Active". Houston, Texas: The Houston Post. May 24, 1914. p. 6. Retrieved 21 May 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "To Chicago to Attend Ceremony". The Laredo Times. Laredo, Texas. August 2, 1936. p. 2. Retrieved 21 May 2017 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  • "A Woman Delegate". Corsicana, Texas: The Corsicana Daily Sun. August 9, 1909. p. 1. Retrieved 21 May 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Woman Says Dry Issue Settled". San Antonio, Texas: The San Antonio Light. February 27, 1930. p. 2. Retrieved 21 May 2017 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  • "(untitled)". The Galveston Daily News. Galveston, Texas. October 9, 1910. p. 26. Retrieved 21 May 2017 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  • "(untitled)". San Antonio, Texas: The San Antonio Light. November 23, 1913. p. 18. Retrieved 21 May 2017 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
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