Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (August 7, 1890-September 5, 1964) was a labor leader, activist, and feminist who played a leading role in the Industrial Workers of the World. Flynn was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union and advocate for women’s rights, birth control, and women’s suffrage. In 1918, she helped establish and until 1922 served as secretary of the Workers’ Liberty Defense Union. From 1927 to 1930, she was chairman of International Labor Defense. She was also a key fundraiser in the Sacco and Vanzetti case.

She joined the Communist Party, USA in 1936 and, in 1961, became its chairwoman. She died during a visit to the Soviet Union, where she was accorded a state funeral with processions in the Red Square attended by over 25,000 people.