Person Open DS/UK/7186 Roper; Esther (1868-1938); English social reformer Roper Esther 1868-1938 English social reformer Female

Esther Roper (4 August 1868 – 28 April 1938) was an English suffragist who was one of the first women to graduate and gain her BA at Owens College in Manchester. She was the daughter of a Manchester factory worker who later became a missionary in Africa. She was a working woman and a skilled organiser, administrator and fund-raiser — at her best behind the scenes rather than in front. She worked for the women's department of Manchester University and, as the Secretary of the North of England Suffrage Society, she was a committee member of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, led by the veteran Millicent Fawcett, as well as Secretary for the Manchester National Society for Women's Suffrage. In 1896 she met Irish poet Eva Gore-Booth when they both were staying at Scottish writer George Macdonald's guest house in Bordighera, Italy. They became lifelong lovers. Together with Eva, she supported the cause of women in various fields such as flower sellers, circus performers, barmaids and coal mine pit girls. They were prominent pacifists during the First World War, working in the International Committee of Women for Permanent Peace. Among other things they helped support the wives and children of imprisoned conscientious objectors. After the war they became members of the Committee for the Abolition of Capital Punishment and worked for prison reform. International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition - ICA 2004 ISBN 2-9521932-2-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 Yes RAHSkeyte 8/23/2013 Rachael.Fragola 3/1/2022 e2cbac67-fc25-4f04-b715-5c763c73cb80