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Frances Nacke Noel (January 5, 1973- April 24, 1963) was an American reformer and an author. She is best known for her activism in women’s suffrage, minimum wage and birth control in Los Angeles.

Early Years
Frances Nacke Noel was born January 5th 1873, in a small town in Saxony, Germany near the Bohemian border. She was one of the eldest of the six children. Her father was a superintendant of a furniture factory, and Nacke family lived within factory complex. Growing up Frances helped with her siblings and started working as governess at the age of twelve. In her teens she studied to become kindergarten teacher. At the age of twenty she left Germany to travel to New York City (1). Beginning in America New York City turned out a disappointment; she didn’t like the European atmosphere nor the culture of Germans living there (German community) (2). In less than a year, in 1893, she moved to Chicago, where she was affected by economic hardship of the depression, brutality of the Pullman strike (1894), and Eugene Debs. In aftermath she got interested in socialism (1). In 1895 she moved to Denver, where she worked as a governess to a grandchild of a former Colorado senator. As Colorado adapted women’s suffrage in 1893, she was able to vote for the first time in 1895. The incident she observed where the ballots were distributed to workers and some already filled shaped her career; she made her goal to better educate women about voting and woman suffrage (2). In 1898 she joined Socialist Labor Party, and run for a local office (2). Later that year, she moved to Los Angeles and supported herself working as a waitress and a teacher. (1)

History of Los Angeles
Los Angeles was portrayed as a great city, with jobs that paid well and good working conditions, city where workers could afford to buy a house. Many people lured in to Los Angeles with great prospects for better life found that the reality was different. Pay was small comparing with other cities; there was no organized unions that would protect the rights of workers, employers were pro Open Shop and against unionization. During the early 1900’s there were a number of union strikes in a variety of trades that were all unsuccessful. Companies were able to hold off unions from entering their workplace through a variety of different tactics such as hiring strikebreakers and using special police. Open shop businesses in Los Angeles had the upper hand over unions. (3). While living in Los Angeles her interest in socialism grew deeper and she joined meetings of the Socialist Party locally and in San Francisco (4). She met Job Harriman who was prominent socialist and later run for a mayor of Los Angeles (2). Harriman got her involved in Socialist and labor movements. She continued her travels (San Francisco, Germany, Switzerland) during which she made important contacts with prominent socialist leaders such Augusta Babel and Clara Zetkin (1). In 1902 she came back to Los Angeles and married Primrose D. Noel, whom she met through Harriman. P.D Noel was socialist and activist in labor movement and both shared love for nature (1). He held position at a bank that he lost due to his wife activities in Socialist Party. He became insurance broker, and after his death in 1943 his wife continued his business. They had two sons, younger died soon after birth (1).

Women’s suffrage
Although California passed a bill in 1893 that gave women the right to vote, it was overturned by governor who believed that women suffrage was unconstitutional (find citation!). Noel as one of the leading activists for suffrage and women’s rights continued bringing women of different class and different movements together in order to organize. Meeting she organized between Votes for Women Club (middle class) and Local 36 of the Women’s Union Label League lead to cooperation between various groups in 1911 campaign for women’s suffrage (1). Encouraged by Central Labor Council she organized and became president of Wage Earner’s Suffrage League (WESL) that consisted of working-women who supported suffrage. WESL members’ campaign for women’s suffrage was far reaching through street meetings, outdoor gatherings, factories and home visits. WESL utilized labor and social press in sending message about the importance of suffrage (1). Noel also targeted working-class men in her fight for suffrage. She provided union men with benefits that they would get from women’s suffrage. Noel’s strategy was to tailor message to specific receiver (2). Frances educated working-class women on importance and benefits of suffrage and organizing (2). On October 10th, 1911 suffrage activists received victory; women’s suffrage amendment was passed in California. Noel’s role in safeguarding votes for suffrage was significant through building cross-class and cross-gender coalitions. Wealthier Los Angelinos voted anti-suffrage and without support of working-class suffrage victory would be hard to accomplish (2).

History of progressive movement
Noel tried to connect the labor activism with suffrage movement and connect the groups through mutual interests. (2)

History of Women Activism
Noel wanted to unite women of different classes in their fight for legislative measures that would give better protection for women and children. The Women’s Conference of Los Angeles County (1911) was set up to bring working and middle class women together. Main goals of the conference were endorsement of laws and legislatures which would give better protection for women and children and collection of data (of great importance was data about conditions of wage-earning women). Permanent organization was established (there is no evidence of the organization making it past first few months) (1). Since Los Angeles wasn’t unionized and nobody overseen workers’ rights Noel became concerned about working condition and long work hours. Noel joined Women’s International Union Label League later becoming vice president (4). At first the union consisted of relatives of union men which main purpose was to make sure that members of the union only consume and purchase union made goods. After Noel became vice president she changed the league into state organization that advocated for eight-hour work day, unionizing more people (5). In 1909 Women’s International Union Label League presented to California State Federation of Labor demand for eight-hour day which was put on California State Federation on Labor demand list for 1911 legislature (5). Noel tried to organize wage-earning women in Los Angeles and tried to establish Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL). She witnessed its (cross-class) power in contributing to garment and shirtwaist makers’ strikes in New York City (1). In her organizing efforts she had to face obstacles that came from working-women who didn’t see their employment as permanent but only temporary before they start family and didn’t see the need to organize. Additionally, unionized men didn’t see working –women as partners but a competition. On top of it she had to face opposition from open shop which promoted anti union propaganda (2). In 1914 she became a president of the Women’s Trade Union League in Los Angeles. To attract new members league held monthly educational meetings. In 1915 the WTUL attracted more women after organizing educational series about unemployment. WTUL with collaboration with Central Labor Council created committee to investigate unemployment in Los Angeles. From the beginning the group struggled with bringing in middle class women and more working-women what Noel brought up to attention of National WTUL. Its only success was Unemployment Committee and strike support work (1). After the WTUL closed down in 1918, Noel saw a bigger need in educating women about their roles in labor movement. She asked them to support the movement through purchasing power and education (1). In 1915 Noel through WTUL wanted to offer to wage-earning women an opportunity for recreation and play that was easily accessible and affordable. Recreational camp for wage-working women was established, Camp Aliso, located in San Gabriel Mountains, and east of Pasadena. Noel believed that recreational facilities that the camp offered would help in up keeping health of the wage-working women and lower expenses for charity and hospitals in the future. Unfortunately, the camp was destroyed during harsh winter, and efforts to raise money to rebuild it were unsuccessful. In 1916 the Los Angeles WTUL became bankrupt. The land that the camp site was on was donated to the city of Los Angeles (1).

Noel became first chairperson of the Women’s Central Committee and through purchasing power she tried to support the Los Angeles labor movement (2). She served that position until 1924 (2). After 1920’s although committed to labor movement she got involved in birth control and women’s health (2). She became president of local Birth Control League in Los Angeles. Noel followed the lead of Margaret Sanger who was an expert in the field of birth control and who through education about birth control helped poor families with family planning. Through educating poor women about spacing their pregnancies through birth control, it helped them to recover from previous pregnancies and care for children in hard economic condition. The organization Sanger founded became Planned Parenthood. Noel advocated on the side for birth control and wanted people to be educated about their rights with regard to birth control use. She felt it was only fair that working class people had the same opportunity as those that were well to-do and be given access to birth control. She viewed birth control as something that should either be allowed for all or be banned from all. Her stance on birth control was sided toward allowing the working class the ability to restrict the number of children they had since jobs and government would not assist in the increase in family size (6). During 1940’s and 1950’s Noel took care of her very sick husband. She was lifelong member of labor movement. She was a member of Women’s International Label League till 1962 when it disbanded. She dedicated her life to public welfare and didn’t stop organizing and fighting for causes she believed in (4). Frances Nacke Noel died on April 24, 1963 in Los Angeles (1).

Refrences
1. Katz, Sherry. "Frances Nacke Noel and" Sister Movements": Socialism, Feminism and Trade Unionism in Los Angeles, 1909-1916." California History (1988): 180-189. 2. Loughlin, Patricia. "In Search of Capable Allies: Frances Nacke Noel and Women's Labor Activism in Los Angeles." Southern California Quarterly (2000): 61-74. 3. John, HM Laslett. "Sunshine Was Never Enough: Los Angeles Workers, 1880-2010 Author: HM Laslett John, Publisher: University Of California." (2012): 387. 4. Finding Aid for the Frances Noel Papers, ca. 1900-1960 (Finding Aid for the Frances Noel Papers, ca. 1900-1960) http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/ft8779p0t2/ 5. Gullett, Gayle. Becoming Citizens: The Emergence and Development of the California Women's Movement, 1880-1911. University of Illinois Press, 2000. 6. Noel, New American Women, One Viewpoint of Birth Control Movement, Folder 13 Box 2