This Day in History: 1890-04-23

General Federation of Women’s Clubs founded in a convention April 23-25 in New York City in 1890. The effort was led by Jane Croly, a newspaper reporter and founder of Sorosis. Some 63 clubs were part of the original federation. Many of the environmental improvements of the Progressive Era in the US — sanitation, clean drinking water, less air pollution, protection of scenic areas and laws forcing slum landlords to clean up neighborhoods — were championed by the GFFC.