Roberta Lawson
Encyclopedia
Roberta Lawson was a Lenape
-Scots-Irish
activist, community organizer, and musician. During World War I
, she was the head of the Women's Division of the Oklahoma Council of Defense. She was president of the Oklahoma State Federation of Women's Clubs, which organized to support community welfare and educational goals. As music chairman of the General Federation of Women's Clubs
, in 1926 she wrote Indian Music Programs for clubs and special days of celebration. In 1935 she was elected president of the General Federation, and served a three-year term leading its two million members to work toward goals of "uniform marriage and divorce laws, birth control, and civic service."
and daughter of Charles Johnnycake, the last Lenape chief; and John Edward Campbell, of Scots-Irish descent from Virginia. Her father had migrated to Oklahoma after the American Civil War and became a successful trader. Roberta learned from both sides of her family; she was tutored at home and later attended a seminary and Hardin College
in Missouri. From her mother and maternal grandfather Charles, she learned Lenape chants and music, which later inspired her own compositions.
, where she held a number of offices, including music chairman. During that time, she wrote compositions for Indian Music Programs for clubs, as well as for Special Music Days (1926). While she served as president from 1935-1938, she led the General Federation's two million members in goals of "uniform marriage and divorce laws, birth control, and civic service."
Her local and regional leadership earned Lawson recognition and new challenges at a state and national level. During World War I, she was appointed by the Oklahoma governor as head of the Women's Division of the Oklahoma Council of Defense. During the Great Depression
and the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
, Lawson was selected for Eleanor Roosevelt
's National Committee for the Mobilization for Human Needs (1933-1934).
Lawson served on the Board of Regents for Oklahoma College for Women (now the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
) in Chickasha, and the board of trustees of Tulsa University. She also belonged to local music and women's clubs in Tulsa, and the city's First Presbyterian Church, as well as the Daughters of the American Revolution
, a heritage organization.
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
-Scots-Irish
Scots-Irish
Scotch-Irish or Scots-Irish may refer to;* Ulster Scots people, an ethnic group in the Ulster province of Ireland which ultimately traces its roots back to settlers from Scotland and northern England....
activist, community organizer, and musician. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, she was the head of the Women's Division of the Oklahoma Council of Defense. She was president of the Oklahoma State Federation of Women's Clubs, which organized to support community welfare and educational goals. As music chairman of the General Federation of Women's Clubs
General Federation of Women's Clubs
The General Federation of Women's Clubs , founded in 1890, is an international women's organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service...
, in 1926 she wrote Indian Music Programs for clubs and special days of celebration. In 1935 she was elected president of the General Federation, and served a three-year term leading its two million members to work toward goals of "uniform marriage and divorce laws, birth control, and civic service."
Early life and education
Born Roberta E. Campbell, she was the daughter of Emeline Johhnycake, a LenapeLenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
and daughter of Charles Johnnycake, the last Lenape chief; and John Edward Campbell, of Scots-Irish descent from Virginia. Her father had migrated to Oklahoma after the American Civil War and became a successful trader. Roberta learned from both sides of her family; she was tutored at home and later attended a seminary and Hardin College
Hardin College
Hardin College may refer to:* Hardin College and Conservatory of Music, a women's college in Missouri* The former name of Midwestern State University...
in Missouri. From her mother and maternal grandfather Charles, she learned Lenape chants and music, which later inspired her own compositions.
Marriage and family
In 1901 she married Eugene Lawson (d. 1931), an attorney who had settled in Nowata, Indian Territory. He also worked in banking and the oil industry. They had one son together, Edward Campbell Lawson, born in 1905. Later they moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he founded an oil company. After his father's death, the younger Lawson became president of their Tulsa-based Lawson Petroleum Company.Civic career
Roberta Lawson became active in women's clubs, which were organizing to address social and community needs. In 1903 she became president of the Nowata Women's Club, and by 1917 was elected to a term to the Oklahoma State Federation of Women's Clubs. The following year, she became active in the General Federation of Women's ClubsGeneral Federation of Women's Clubs
The General Federation of Women's Clubs , founded in 1890, is an international women's organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service...
, where she held a number of offices, including music chairman. During that time, she wrote compositions for Indian Music Programs for clubs, as well as for Special Music Days (1926). While she served as president from 1935-1938, she led the General Federation's two million members in goals of "uniform marriage and divorce laws, birth control, and civic service."
Her local and regional leadership earned Lawson recognition and new challenges at a state and national level. During World War I, she was appointed by the Oklahoma governor as head of the Women's Division of the Oklahoma Council of Defense. During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, Lawson was selected for Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
's National Committee for the Mobilization for Human Needs (1933-1934).
Lawson served on the Board of Regents for Oklahoma College for Women (now the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, or USAO, is a public liberal arts college located in Chickasha, Oklahoma. It is the only public college with a strictly liberal arts-focused curriculum in Oklahoma. It provides Bachelor's Degrees and many students move on to graduate schools across...
) in Chickasha, and the board of trustees of Tulsa University. She also belonged to local music and women's clubs in Tulsa, and the city's First Presbyterian Church, as well as the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
, a heritage organization.
Legacy and honors
- 1935, inducted into Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame.
- Lawson was one of the four women inducted into the American Indian Hall of Fame, and her bronze bust is included among the 41 displayed at Anadarko, Oklahoma.
External links
- Linda D. Wilson, "Roberta Lawson", Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture
Further reading
- Lyle H. Boren and Dale Boren, Who's Who in Oklahoma (Guthrie, Okla.: Cooperative Publishing Co., 1935).
- Edward T. James, ed., Notable American Women, 1607-1950: A Biographical Dictionary (Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1971).
- Mary Hays Marable and Elaine Boylan, A Handbook of Oklahoma Writers (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1939).
- Luretta Rainey, History of Oklahoma State Federation of Women's Clubs (Guthrie, Okla: Cooperative Publishing Co., 1939).
- Mildred W. Wells, Unity in Diversity: The History of the General Federation of Women's Clubs (Washington, D.C.: General Federation of Women's Clubs, 1953).