WOMEN OF INFLUENCE
BELLE SHERWIN (1868-1955)
Belle Sherwin was a woman's suffragist leader and president of the Cleveland chapter of the National League of Women Voters. She was also the president of the Consumers League of Ohio, who encouraged consumers to buy only fair labor items. She led the Ohio branch of the Woman's Committee of the Council of National Defense, orchestrating food conservation drives, selling of war bonds, and women’s work in factories and the Red Cross. Belle co-founded the Women's City Club to encourage women’s interests in civic affairs, offering classes and lectures ranging from public affairs topics to the arts. These women networked and advocated for civil causes about education, women and children’s welfare. Belle actively worked to prevent child labor, advocated for minimum wage for women workers, and joined the anti-war effort.