Alice Hubbard

Biography

Alice Luann Moore was born in Wales, New York, in 1861 to Welcome Moore and Melinda Bush. Despite humble beginnings on a small farm, she pursued education with determination, attending the State Normal School in Buffalo and later the progressive Emerson College of Oratory in Boston. This unconventional education, steeped in New Thought philosophy, shaped her progressive worldview and commitment to women's intellectual development.

After working as a schoolteacher, Alice met the charismatic entrepreneur and philosopher Elbert Hubbard at East Aurora College. Their relationship, though controversial due to his married status, led to a daughter in 1894 and marriage in 1904 after his divorce. Together, they transformed the Roycroft community in East Aurora into America's most influential Arts and Crafts center, attracting free thinkers, reformers, and suffragettes from across the nation.

Alice proved herself far more than just Elbert's wife, serving as general manager of the Roycroft enterprise employing 500 people, principal of the Roycroft School for Boys, and manager of the Roycroft Inn. She authored several groundbreaking works on women's rights and marriage equality, including 'The Myth in Marriage' and 'Women's Work.' Her life was tragically cut short in 1915 when she and Elbert perished aboard the RMS Lusitania, making them martyrs to both the Arts and Crafts movement and the cause of progressive journalism.

Major Works & Series

Literary Significance & Legacy

Alice Hubbard stands as one of America's earliest and most articulate advocates for marriage equality and women's economic independence. Her writings on marriage reform, women's education, and workplace equality anticipated many arguments that would not become mainstream until the mid-20th century feminist movement. As a practical feminist, she demonstrated that women could successfully manage large enterprises while maintaining family responsibilities, challenging Victorian notions of separate spheres.

Her role in the Roycroft movement extended beyond management to intellectual leadership, helping to create an alternative community that valued craftsmanship, progressive politics, and gender equality. Through her writing and activism, including her participation in the 1913 Washington suffragist parade, Hubbard helped bridge the gap between 19th-century women's rights activism and modern feminism. Her tragic death on the Lusitania transformed her into a symbol of progressive courage and international engagement.

Best Starting Points

• The Myth in Marriage
  Hubbard's most influential work, offering a radical critique of traditional marriage and advocacy for women's intellectual freedom. Essential reading for understanding early feminist thought.
• Women's Work
  A comprehensive analysis of women's secondary role in society and a call for liberation through education and economic independence.
• Life Lessons
  Biographical essays on progressive figures including Susan B. Anthony, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, revealing Hubbard's intellectual influences.

Famous Characters

• The Progressive Woman
  Hubbard's ideal of the educated, economically independent woman who could balance professional achievement with family life, as exemplified in her own career.
• The Roycroft Community Member
  The free-thinking artisan and intellectual who valued craftsmanship, progressive politics, and gender equality in the Arts and Crafts alternative community.
• The New Marriage Partner
  Hubbard's vision of marriage as a partnership between intellectual equals rather than a hierarchical arrangement based on gender roles.