Elizabeth Dobson Altemus

Elizabeth Dobson Altemus Eastman (February 7, 1874 – August 4, 1947), known as Bessie Dobson Altemus, was a Philadelphia socialite and political organizer, "an effective influence for progress and betterment in the civic, social, and political affairs of Philadelphia."[1]

Elizabeth Dobson Altemus
Bessie Dobson Altemus, in riding gear, from a 1903 publication.
Born
Elizabeth Dobson

February 7, 1874
Pennsylvania
Died1947
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
Other namesElizabeth Dobson Altemus Eastman, Bessie Dobson Altemus
Occupationsocialite, political organizer, clubwoman

Early life

Elizabeth "Bessie" Dobson was born in Pennsylvania, the daughter of English-born parents, James Dobson and Mary Ann Schofield Dobson.[2] Her father owned a textile mill, Dobson Mills, now known as a national historic site.[3] As a young woman she was "renowned for her wonderful gowns and her marvelous hats and for her daring as a horsewoman."[4]

Career

Bessie Dobson Altemus was president of the Women's Board of the Jefferson Medical College Hospital for 23 years; "there is no part of the hospital proper that does not bear the imprint of her work and of her personality," commented one colleague in 1948.[5] During World War I, she was active in American Red Cross work, organizing the preparation of surgical materials by the Women's Board of Jefferson Medical College Hospital.[6] She also organized a knitting group to make scarves and socks for servicemen.[3] She worked to build a rooftop garden for patients in the chest unit, and during World War II she arranged "practical gifts" for all the nurses leaving for overseas service.[5]

Dobson was president of the Pennsylvania Council of Republican Women, elected in 1925.[7][8][9] "Men did not want us to get the vote," she told an audience in 1923, "and now that we have it they are watching us closely. It is up to us to make good. The women have never fallen down in anything they have undertaken, and it is up to them to show what they can do now."[10] In 1931 she was one of the council's vice presidents, and a member of the finance and publicity committees.[11] She was also president of the Republican Women of Philadelphia,[10][12] president of the Coolidge Clubs of America,[13] and a member of the Valley Forge Park Commission.[1]

Bella Vista

During the Great Depression, Altemus and her son opened five acres of the Dobson estate on the Schuylkill River, called Bella Vista, for vegetable gardens. During World War II the federal government took over the North Philadelphia property, evicted Altemus,[14] and built housing for war workers on the site.[15] In 1953, the space was transferred to the Philadelphia Housing Authority for low-income housing, now known as Abbottsford Homes.[16] The mansion's books were donated to the Free Library of Philadelphia, the furnishings to the Falls of the Schuylkill Presbyterian Church and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.[14]

Personal life

Elizabeth Dobson married a businessman, Lemuel Coffin Altemus, in 1901. Lemuel Altemus declared bankruptcy in 1908; the couple divorced in 1911. She had a son, James Dobson Altemus (1901–1966), who became an inventor, and a daughter, Mary Elizabeth (1906–1988), who became a horsebreeder known as Liz Whitney Tippett.[17] She remarried, to a Marine Corps officer from Georgia, Nedom Angier Eastman, in 1924.[18][19] In 1933, a woman named Estelle Maxwell sued her and her son for working to prevent the remarriage of Lemuel Coffin Altemus.[4] The lawsuit was dismissed.[20]

Bessie Dobson Altemus Eastman was widowed when her second husband died in 1935. She died in 1947, aged 73 years, in Philadelphia.[1] There was a Bessie Dobson Altemus Memorial Prize given by the School of Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University, from 1948 to 1981.[21]

References
  1. "Leaders in Tribute to Mrs. Altemus". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 23, 1947. p. 3. Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Mrs. James Dobson Dies in 96th Year". The Philadelphia Inquirer. February 22, 1936. p. 2. Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Boyne, Daniel (2012-06-05). Kelly: A Father, a Son, an American Quest. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 23–24, 64. ISBN 9780762789283.
  4. Blitzstein, Madelin (August 5, 1933). "$600,000 Her Price for the Wedding that Didn't Take Place". Santa Cruz Evening News. p. 10. Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  5. Bauer, Mrs. Edward L. "Memorial Service Honoring Bessie Dobson Altemus" Jefferson Nurses' Alumnae Bulletin (April 1948): 25-26.
  6. Coplin, William Michael Late (1923). American Red Cross Base Hospital No. 38 in the World War: United States Army Base Hospital No. 38 : Organized Under the Auspices of the Jefferson Medical College and Hospital, Stationed at Nantes, France, 1918-1919. Press of E.A. Wright Company. pp. 29–30.
  7. "Noted Speakers at Convention". Gettysburg Times. November 9, 1925. p. 2. Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  8. "Activity of the Week in Women's Clubs". The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 15, 1931. p. 14. Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "State G. O. P. Women Seat Mrs. Eastman". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 12, 1925. p. 8. Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Tax for Educating Aliens Held Unjust". The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 14, 1923. p. 10. Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Mrs. Pinchot Once More Director of Women's Council". Harrisburg Telegraph. January 20, 1931. p. 17. Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Mrs. Bessie Dobson Altemus". The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 6, 1947. p. 20. Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "G. O. P. Women Seek Coolidge Song Hit". The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 29, 1924. p. 2. Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Mrs. Altemus Reminisces as She Vacates Mansion". The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 14, 1941. p. 3. Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Abbottsford Homes, Historical American Buildings Survey.
  16. "Abbottsford Homes". The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Retrieved 2019-07-13.
  17. Tower, Whitney (June 9, 1958). "Conversation Piece: Lady Liz of Llangollen". Sports Illustrated (Vault). Retrieved 2019-07-13.
  18. "Elizabeth Dobson Altemus & Major Eastman – East Falls Historical Society". Retrieved 2019-07-13.
  19. "Mrs. Altemus Wed to Major Eastman". The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 11, 1924. p. 2. Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "$500,000 Love Suit Nears Trial after 4 Yr. Delay". Daily News. August 15, 1937. p. 4. Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "Commencement Awards" (2009). A Commitment to Excellence. Paper 16. Appendix, p. 125.
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