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Josephine
Butler, the daughter of John Grey and Hannah Annett, was born in 1828.
Grey was a wealthy landowner and the cousin of Earl Grey, the British
Prime Minister who led the Whig administration between 1830 and 1834. Her
father was a strong advocate of social reform and played a significant
role in the campaign for the 1832 Reform Act and the repeal of the Corn
Laws. Josephine grew up to share her father's religious and moral
principles and his strong dislike of inequality and injustice.
Josephine
was an attractive woman and Prince Leopold claimed that she was "considered
by many people to be the most beautiful woman in the world."
In
1852 Josephine married George Butler, an examiner of schools in Oxford. In
the first five years of marriage Josephine had four children. In 1857 the
couple moved from Oxford after George Butler was appointed vice-principal
of Cheltenham College. George and Josephine had similar political views
and during the American Civil War they encountered a great deal of
hostility in Cheltenham when they expressed their support for the anti-slavery
movement.
In
1863, Eva, Josephine's only daughter, fell to her death in front of her.
Josephine was devastated by the death of her six year-old daughter and was
never to fully recover from this family tragedy. In an attempt to cope
with her grief, Josephine Butler became involved in charity work. This
involved Josephine visiting the local workhouse and rescuing young
prostitutes from the streets.
Josephine
also began to take a keen interest in women's education. In 1867 she
joined Anne Jemima Clough in establishing courses of advanced study for
women. Later that year Josephine Butler was appointed president of the
North of England Council for the Higher Education of Women. The following
year Josephine became involved in the campaign to persuade Cambridge
University to provide more opportunities for women students. This campaign
resulted in the provision of lectures for women and later the
establishment of Newnham College.
In
1868 Josephine Butler published her book The Education and Employment of
Women. In her pamphlet, she argued for improved educational and employment
opportunities for single women. The following year she wrote Women's Work
and Women's Culture, in which she argued that women should not "try
to rival men since they had a different part to play in society".
These views upset some feminists such as Emily Davies who wanted women to
compete on the same terms as men. Butler believed that women should have
the vote because they were different from men. She argued that women's
special role was to protect and care for the weak and that women's
suffrage was of vital importance to the morality and welfare of the nation.
In
1869 Josephine Butler began her campaign against the Contagious Diseases
Act. These acts had been introduced in the 1860s in an attempt to reduce
venereal disease in the armed forces. Butler objected in principal to laws
that only applied to women. Under the terms of these acts, the police
could arrest women they believed were prostitutes and could then insist
that they had a medical examination. Butler had considerable sympathy for
the plight of prostitutes who she believed had been forced into this work
by low earnings and unemployment.
Josephine
Butler toured the country making speeches criticizing the Contagious
Diseases Acts. Butler, who was an outstanding orator, attracted large
audiences to hear her explain why these laws needed to be repealed. Many
people were shocked by the idea of a woman speaking in public about sexual
matters. George Butler, who was now principal of Liverpool College, was
severely criticised for allowing his wife to become involved in this
campaign. Butler continued to support his wife in her work despite the
warnings that it would damage his academic career.
Butler
also became involved in the campaign against child prostitution. In 1885
Butler joined together with Florence Booth of the Salvation Army and W. T.
Stead, the editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, to expose what had become
known as the white slave traffic. The group used the case of Eliza
Armstrong, a thirteen year-old daughter of a chimney-sweep, who was bought
for £5 by a woman working for a London brothel. As a result of the
publicity that the Armstrong case generated, Parliament passed the
Criminal Law Amendment Act that raised the age of consent from thirteen to
sixteen.
After
the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act in 1886, Josephine spent her
time nursing her sick husband. After his death in 1890, Josephine wrote
Recollections of George Butler (1892) and Personal Reminiscences of a
Great Crusade (1896). In her last few years of her life, Josephine became
a supporter of the National Union of Suffrage Societies. However, now in
her seventies, Josephine was too old to take a prominent role in the
movement's activities. Josephine Butler died in 1906.
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