Robert Purvis

Robert Purvis (1810-1898) was an abolitionist leader of Philadelphia’s free Black community. He criticized the 15th Amendment for not including women. The Purvis family was very active in the suffrage cause. His wife, Harriet (1810-1875), served on the executive committee of the interracial Philadelphia Suffrage Association. His daughter, Hattie (ca. 1839-1904), was the first African American woman elected as vice president of the National Woman Suffrage Association.