In a series of biographical profiles, this volume celebrates the lives and achievements of women who made history in the Golden State. Throughout California’s history, remarkable women have been at the core of change and innovation. In this fascinating volume, Gloria Harris and Hannah Cohen relate the stories of forty women whose struggles and achievements have paved the way for generations. Coming from all walks of life and entering a variety of fields—from activism and conservation to science, medicine, entertainment, and more—these women overcame prejudice, skepticism and injustice to prove that women can do anything. Visionary architect Julia Morgan designed Hearst Castle; Dolores Huerta co-founded United Farm Workers; Donaldina Cameron, the angry angel of Chinatown, rescued brothel workers; and silent film actress Mary Pickford helped form United Artists Pictures. From fearless pioneers to determined reformers, Harris and Cohen chronicle the triumphs and disappointments of diverse women who dared to take risks and break down barriers.

In 1911 as progressivism moved toward its zenith, the state of California granted women the right to vote. However, women?s political involvement in California?s public life did not begin with suffrage, nor did it end there. ø Across the state, women had been deeply involved in politics long before suffrage, and?although their tactics and objectives changed?they remained deeply involved thereafter. California Women and Politics examines the wide array of women?s public activism from the 1850s to 1929?including the temperance movement, moral reform, conservation,øtrade unionism, settlement work, philanthropy, wartime volunteerism, and more?and reveals unexpected contours to women?s politics in California. The contributors consider not only white middle-class women?s organizing but also the politics of working-class women and women of color, emphasizing that there was not one monolithic ?women?s agenda,? but rather a multiplicity of women?s voices demanding recognition for a variety of causes.