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Jessey Wade
Possible illustration of Jessey Wade from The Animals' Friend Cat Book
Born
Anna Jessey Wade

(1859-12-02)2 December 1859
Westminster, Middlesex, England
Died10 May 1952(1952-05-10) (aged 92)
London, England
OccupationActivist
Years activec. 1906–c. 1935
Known for

Anna Jessey Wade (2 December 1859 – 10 May 1952) was an English suffragette and campaigner for animal welfare. She was the founder of the Cats Protection League (now known as Cats Protection). Wade also co-founded and was involved with number of other animal welfare organisations. She also contributed to the creation of the feminist gender studies journal Urania and served as its editor.

Biography

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Early life

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Anna Jessey Wade[1] was born on 2 December 1859, in Westminster, Middlesex.[2][3] Her parents were John and Anna Wade.[3]

Activism

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Wade had a strong commitment to animal welfare and became closely associated with fellow advocate Ernest Bell, serving as his personal secretary until his death in 1933. Bell was the editor of the Animals' Friend and Wade became the editor of its sister publication for children, Little Animals' Friend, after Edith Carrington.[4] Wade authored several pamphlets for the society's A. F. pamphlet series, including Cruelties in Dress, Mother Love in the Animal World, Fur Coats, Hats and the Woman, Little Father Christmas, and Winter Cruelties.[5]

From 1906 to 1919, Wade served as the Honorary Secretary of the Children's Department for the Humanitarian League, an organisation dedicated to promoting compassionate treatment towards both humans and animals.[6] She was also a member of the Women's Freedom League and as part of a suffragette protest, refusing to complete the 1911 United Kingdom Census.[7] In 1916, she co-founded Urania, a journal that was part of a broader campaign to eliminate all distinctions based on gender, advocating for a society free from gender-based prejudices.[8]

In 1927, Wade organised a meeting at Caxton Hall, London, which resulted in the establishment of the Cats Protection League.[9] She subsequently became the editor of the league's journal, The Cats' Mews-Sheet. In 1932, she helped establish the National Society for the Abolition of Cruel Sports with Ernest Bell and others.[10] Wade was also involved with the Women's Freedom League, the Pit Ponies' Protection Society, and the Performing and Captive Animals' Defence League.[4] In 1935, Wade delivered a speech for the Humane Education Society in Manchester.[11]

Personal life and death

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In 1945, it was reported that Wade was in bad health from the after effects of a serious accident. She also had an operation for cataracts.[12]

Wade retired from her role as editor of The Little Animals' Friend in 1948, after 50 years.[13] She died at her home at Abbey Road mansions on 10 May 1952, at the age of 92.[1]

Contributions to animal organisations

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Ernest Bell and Jessey Wade's banner for The Animals' Friend, parading through London in 1909, during the Anti-Vivisection International Congress.

Wade founded and made significant contributions to a number of animal advocacy organisations:[6][14]

  • Humanitarian League (Honorary Secretary of the Children's Department from 1906 until 1919)
  • Pit Ponies' Protection Society (active member)
  • Performing and Captive Animals' Defence League (co-founder with Ernest Bell and John Galsworthy)
  • National Society for the Abolition of Cruel Sports (co-founder with Ernest Bell and others)[10]
  • Cats Protection League (now known as Cats Protection; founder)[15]
  • Humane Education Society (Vice-President of the Council for Protection of Animals)

Publications

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Pamphlets

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  • Cruelties in Dress (London: Animals' Friend Society, 1912)
  • Mother Love in the Animal World (London: Animals' Friend Society)
  • Fur Coats (London: Animals' Friend Society)
  • Hats and the Woman (London: Animals' Friend Society)
  • Little Father Christmas (London: Animals' Friend Society)
  • Winter Cruelties (London: Animals' Friend Society)
  • We & the Animals Are Kin (National Council for Animals' Welfare)

Books

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Anna Jessey Wade". England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995. Ancestry.com. 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Anna J Wade". 1939 England and Wales Register. Ancestry.com. 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Anna J Wade". 1861 England Census. Ancestry.com. 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Meet Cats Protection founder Jessey Wade". Meow! Blog. Cats Protection. 8 March 2019. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  5. ^ Galsworthy, John (1913). Treatment of animals: being a speech delivered at the Kensington Town Hall on December 15, 1913, at a meeting called to protest against cruelties to performing animals. London: Animals' Friend Society.
  6. ^ a b Edmundson, John (14 November 2013). "The Brown Linties by Jessey Wade". HappyCow. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Jessey Wade". Hampstead Garden Suburb Virtual Museum. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  8. ^ Tiernan, Sonja (2013). "Radical sexual politics and post-war religion". Eva Gore-Booth: An Image of Such Politics. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-1-84779-509-0.
  9. ^ Hankins, Justine (4 May 2002). "In a league of their own". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  10. ^ a b Wilson, David A. H. (2015). The Welfare of Performing Animals: A Historical Perspective. Springer. p. 229. ISBN 978-3662458341.
  11. ^ "Protection of Animals". The Manchester Guardian. 26 November 1934. p. 16. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  12. ^ "Ourselves" (PDF). The Cat. 15 (9): 68. 1945.
  13. ^ "A Friend of Animals". The Children's Newspaper. 21 February 1948. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  14. ^ The Humane Education Society Council for Protection of Animals: The Future is with the Children and Kind Hearted People (PDF). 1935. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  15. ^ "Cats Protection turns 90: Here's what we've achieved!". Cats Protection. 2017. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024.
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