Clara Campoamor

Clara Campoamor was born on February 12, 1888 in Madrid, Spain. She was the daughter of a wine merchant and a pianist. She had a difficult childhood and married at the age of 16 to Arturo Álvarez y Bustos, a painter and journalist who abused her and was unfaithful to her. She had four children with him, but only one survived. She escaped from her husband in 1901 and moved to Madrid with her daughter. She obtained a teaching certificate and worked as a teacher and a school inspector. She also started writing for newspapers and magazines under the pseudonym of Colombine. She became the first female professional journalist in Spain as editor of Madrid's Diario Universal in 1906 . She published books and articles on topics such as divorce, abortion, prostitution, education, labor rights, pacifism and prison reform. She also wrote novels, short stories, essays, biographies and travel books. She was a pioneer of feminism and social work in Spain and advocated for the modernization of the country. She also supported the Second Spanish Republic and joined the Constituent Assembly in 1931. She was one of the main promoters for women's suffrage in Spain, which was included in the Spanish Constitution of 1931 in part owing to her advocacy. She gave a famous speech in favor of women's right to vote on October 1, 1931 . She later lost her parliamentary seat and briefly served as a government minister. She worked as a war correspondent and a cultural promoter during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and helped the wounded of both sides with the Red Cross. She went into exile in 1939 after Franco's victory and lived in various countries, such as France, Argentina, Brazil and Switzerland. She continued writing books and articles on social issues and participated in international organizations such as the League of Nations and the International Federation of Women Lawyers. She died of natural causes on April 30, 1972 in Lausanne, Switzerland at the age of 84 . She is regarded as one of the most important and influential politicians and writers of Spanish history and culture in the 20th century. She is also remembered as a champion of democracy and human rights .