Family

Caroline's father, Clarence Lexow, was well-known for his career as a lawyer, politician, and public official in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. His family built a handsome home at 298 Piermont Avenue in South Nyack. Lexow was known for battling Tammany Hall on the issues of political and police corruption, and election rigging, and is credited with the creation of Greater New York and the modern five boroughs. Although he was progressive on many issues including conservation, education and social welfare programs, unlike his wife and daughter, he did not support woman suffrage.

Caroline’s mother, Katharine Morton Ferris Lexow, was active in local charitable organizations and a leader in philanthropic work. She increasingly believed that the root of the causes she contributed to required political answers, not just charitable ones. She often arranged suffrage meetings in her home and invited speakers visiting Nyack to stay with the Lexows. Katharine died in September 1920, just days after the 19^th amendment was ratified.