Biography

5344.jpg

The women's suffrage movement in Rockland was an important, but nearly forgotten, chapter of our local History. There were many women who worked tirelessly for the cause for years before the 20th amendment was passed in 1920. Of those, the most prominent activist was Caroline Lexow Babcock of South Nyack.

Suffrage011.jpg

Caroline was born in 1882 in Manhattan, and the family soon moved to South Nyack. She was the oldest child of New York State Senator Clarence Lexow and Katharine Morton Ferris. She spent her childhood surrounded by her father's political world and her mother's social reform and chartitable work. Therefore, it was natural that by her teen years she would develop strong convictions on social matters, including woman suffrage, pacifism, and the Equal Rights Amendment.

Her activism increased after her graduation from Barnard in 1904 and became her life's work. When she became Field Secretary for the Women's Political Union, she worked alongside other suffragists, traveling the state to gain support for woman suffrage, lobbying lawmakers, and speaking wherever she could find an audience. She believed in full gender equality and her lifelong goal was the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Her own father disagreed with her position on suffrage, which lead to tension in their relationship, despite her wish for his approval. Even after his death she carefully collected and catalogued her father's work and went on to document the fascinating Lexow family history.

5339.jpg

In 1915, Caroline married Philip Westerly Babcock and they had three children together: Caroline, Philip, and Katharine. With a home and family to care for, Caroline shelved her suffrage activities, although her commitment to the cause remained strong. As U.S. involvement in the European war loomed nearer, she became more deeply involved in the peace movement. 

Even after the passage of the 19th amendment, Caroline remained active in women’s rights work and pacifism, later joining the National Organization of Women. When she died in 1980, at age 98, she was wearing an ERA button.

Biography