Helen Taylor

Other sources: https://www.parliament.uk/1866
Elizabeth Crawford, The Women's Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide, 1866?1928 (2001); Patricia Hollis, Ladies Elect: Women in English Local Government (1987)

Database linked sources: https://www.suffrageresources.org.uk/activity/3203/what-were-the-suffrage-campaigners-fighting-for
https://www.suffrageresources.org.uk/resource/3206/parliament-and-the-suffrage-campaign

Family information: Stepdaughter of J S Mill.

Additional Information: Helen joined the Kensington Society in 1865 and subsequently became involved with the drafting of the 1866 petition. She acted as a kind of intermediary between her stepfather, MP John Stuart Mill, who would present the petition to Parliament, and the women who orchestrated the petition itself. Helen was a great advocate of petitioning and, before the 1866 petition had been presented, was already formulating futher petitions and the idea of a dedicated committee for the purpose. She was very clear in her opinion that any society founded should only be concerned with the vote and not with other female causes. Neither did she believe that men should should be present on any such committee. The Enfranchisement of Women Committee (EWC) was formed, but when Barbara Bodichon and Clementia Taylor refused to exclude men, Helen would take no part in it. Dissent continued, eventually leading to a new committee and the founding of the London NSWS. At first, Helen and Mill proposed a coming together of the London, Edinburgh and Manchester Societies ? they also joined the latter ? but again there were problems. The Manchester Society started to openly support other female causes, against Helen's wishes, and so she and Mill resigned. In 1871, when the Central Committee of the NSWS (CCNSWS) was founded, bringing 24 societies together, the London NSWS, overseen by Taylor, did not join and she threatened to resign if they did. Six years later, the London NSWS eventually elected to join with the CCNSWS and by 1885, Helen, who had been so against it at the beginning, sat on its executive committee.

Other Suffrage Activities: In 1876, Helen was elected to the London School Board (Southwark seat) and was re-elected in 1879 and 1882. She was also active in the Irish Ladies Land League, the Land Reform Union and the League for Taxing Land Values. In 1881, she was involved in the formation of the Social Democratic Federation (1883) and was on its first executive committee. All of these organisations were radical and to the left of politics. Helen was also a very keen trouser wearer ? which was very much frowned upon for ladies in this era.