PANKHURST, EMMELINE (1858-1928), British suffra gist, the daughter of Robert Goulden, a calico-printer of Man chester, was born July 14, 1858. From 1873 to 1877 she was educated at the Ecole Normale in Paris, where she came under the influence of a daughter of Henri Rochefort. In 1879 she mar ried Richard Marsden Pankhurst, a barrister and an advocate of women's suffrage, and served with him on the committee which promoted the Married Women's Property Act. She was at that time a member of the Manchester Women's Suffrage Committee and, during a short residence in London in 1886, took part in the strike of the match girls at Bryant and May's factory. In 1889 she helped to found the Women's Franchise League, and in 1892 left the Liberal Party and became a member of the Independent Labour Party. Returning to Manchester in 1893, she acted for five years as Poor Law guardian. On the death of her husband in 1898 she took the post of registrar of births and deaths at Chorlton-on-Medlock, but was later obliged to resign on account of her propaganda activities. In October 1903, inspired by her daughter Christabel, she was chiefly instrumental in founding the Women's Social and Political Union on a non-party basis.
Having failed to induce the Liberal party to make votes for women a part of their programme she utilized her organization to oppose their candidates, took headquarters in London, held public meetings and organized processions and deputations to the House of Commons. On May 16, 1906, she spoke for her society at a joint deputation of suffrage societies which met Sir H. Campbell Bannerman at the Foreign Office. But the Liberal party being divided on the question, their leaders refused facilities for the dis cussion of private bills. In Feb. 1908 Mrs. Pankhurst was ar rested on her way to the House of Commons with a petition for the Prime Minister, but was released from prison on grounds of ill-health after the expiration of five weeks of her six weeks' sentence. Later in the same year she was imprisoned in Holloway for inciting to a breach of the peace, and once more in 1909 she was arrested for a technical assault. She entered an appeal founded on the Bill of Rights and a statute of Charles II., and
pending the hearing undertook a lecturing tour in America and Canada. During her absence some unknown person paid her fine. In 1910 there was a short lull in the movement pending the con sideration of a moderate measure framed by a non-party commit tee of the House, but as the Government opposed the measure the agitation was again resumed. The census was boycotted in 1911, and on her return from a second American visit at the end of the year Mrs. Pankhurst and her daughter directed a window breaking campaign. Mrs. Pankhurst was sentenced to 9 months' imprisonment for inciting to violence in March 1912.
In 1913-4 arson and the destruction of property were added to the methods of the W.S.P.U. After the bomb outrage at Lloyd George's house at Walton, Mrs. Pankhurst was sentenced at the Old Bailey to three years' penal servitude. After serving at inter vals less than three weeks of her sentence she joined her daughter Christabel in Paris and later went to America. In the summer of 1914, when she had again been re-arrested and released several times after her return to England, the remainder of her term was allowed to lapse.
At the outbreak of the World War Mrs. Pankhurst and her eldest daughter, supported by the other militant leaders, lent their organization to the cause of national service. Mrs. Pankhurst, an exceptionally able public speaker, devoted her energies to the encouragement of recruiting in England and America. In 1917 Mrs. Pankhurst visited Russia and subsequently, for the benefit of her health, spent some years in Canada and Bermuda. On her return to England at the end of 1925 she again showed great interest in politics. At the time of her death (London, June 14, 1928) she was the candidate for Whitechapel and St. George's nominated by the Conservative Party, which she had joined after the passing of the Representation of the People Act, 1918, which included the extension of the suffrage to women.
Mrs. Pankhurst had one son, who died in 191o, and three daughters. Christabel (b. 188o) has abandoned politics. Sylvia (b. 1882) opposed the war, became a Communist, and was impris oned in 192o under the Defence of the Realm Act. See E. Pank hurst, My Own Story