#WCW Matilda Bradley Carse
After her son was killed by a wagon being driven by a drunk driver, she joined the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union in 1874. She was president of the Cook County branch of the WCTU (Chicago) for over 40 years. Under her savvy business leadership, the CCWCTU became one of the most successful in the country. She was highly involved with other charity work for the city as well. She founded Chicago’s first day cares for working mothers, two free kindergartens, two industrial schools, a home for runaway girls, a men’s reading room, and many other social services for the poor. She brought hope to the slums in one of the largest cities in America. She personally raised the money for these programs and never took anything in compensation. She was also the first woman on the Chicago Board of Education.