Flora Crater
| Flora Crater | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1914 |
| Died | 2009 |
Flora Crater (1914–2009) was a Virginia politician, lobbyist, and activist. Her causes included women's rights, school integration, collective bargaining, and minority rights. She most famously led the Virginia lobby for the Equal Rights Amendment and was the first president of the Virginia chapter of the National Organization for Women. She was the first woman to run for statewide office in Virginia.
Personal life
Flora Marina Trimmer was born on April 19, 1914, in Costa Rica. She was the daughter of a Nicaraguan mother and an American father. After living in Cuba, New York City, and Washington, D.C., the family moved to Orange, Virginia, when Crater was a child.
She married Walter James Crater and had three children. He died in 1982.
Education
As a young woman, she attended Strayer College, in Washington, D.C., but did not graduate. At the age of 67 she received her bachelor's degree from George Mason University.
Career
Flora Crater first became involved in politics in 1942, when she advocated for educational issues in Fairfax County. In particular, she lobbied against the policies of Wallace Carper, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, a Democrat aligned with Harry F. Byrd Jr. In 1945, Crater supported Ed Lynch's successful campaign against Carper to represent Fairfax County in the General Assembly.[1]
Women's rights
Crater convened the Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council,[2] which brought together more than thirty organizations[3] to fight for the ERA. In 1977 Crater became an associate of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press.[4]
"Crater's Raiders"
Crater led a group of lobbyists, made up mostly of NOW members, who were instrumental in pushing the U.S. Congress's passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972, and which led the fight for the passage of the ERA in Virginia from that point on. They were retroactively dubbed "Crater's Raiders," and were known for handing out pink paper flowers, in reference to Crater's first name.[5]
Campaigns for political office
- In 1973, Crater ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, with the goal of gaining visibility for women's rights. She ran as an independent candidate and received 10.5 percent of the votes, mostly from Democrats and women.[6] She was the first woman to run for statewide office in Virginia.[7]
- In 1978, Crater sought the Democratic nomination for United States senator for Virginia. She received only two delegates.[8]
Archives
Flora Crater's papers are held at the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia.
Records of the Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council are held at the Library of Virginia.
References
- ↑ "Flora Crater Sticks To Political Guns". Washington Post. April 13, 1978. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
- ↑ "Crater's Raiders: Flora Crater: 1999 Human Rights Award Winner". Veteran Feminists of America. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
- ↑ "A Guide to the Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council papers, 1970-1982Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council papers 31486". ead.lib.virginia.edu. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
- ↑ "Associates | The Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press". www.wifp.org. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- ↑ Davis, Flora (1999-01-01). Moving the Mountain: The Women's Movement in America Since 1960. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252067822.
- ↑ "Activist Flora Crater dies at 94". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
- ↑ Media Report to Women. Communication Research Associates, Incorporated. 1974-01-01.
- ↑ "Miller Nears Va. Nomination to Senate". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-05-04.