Our Beginnings

 1800 - 1891

Born in Worcester and known as the Father of American History, Bancroft is best known for  establishing the US Naval Academy in 1845.

 1857 - 1934

From Worcesterthen.com:  “The first black man to serve in Worcester’s city government was George Alfred Busby. He served in 1903 and 1904.” In 1902, Busby was nominated by the Republican Party for a seat on the Council from Ward 1 

 1857 - 1928

Husband of George Alfred Busby, she became Worcester's first black school teacher. 

Current mayor of Worcester and longest serving in city history

1936 - 1989
Born in Worcester, Hoffman was an iconic counterculture figure  in the 1960s and Yippie leader

 Sarah Robertson
1934 - 2023
Robertson was Worcester's first women mayor, serving from 1982 - 1984 

 1850

Many prominent American suffragettes were aligned with the Republican Party, which was the first major party to advocate for women's suffrage and included it in their platforms during the late 19th century. While key leaders like Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton often identified as Republicans, the movement was non-partisan.

https://www.nfrw.org/women-suffrage 

 As stated by WIKI, "between January 1918 and June 1919, the House and Senate voted on the federal amendment five times. Each vote was extremely close and southern Democrats continued to oppose giving women the vote", and after "democrats abandoned a filibuster, 37 Republican Senators were joined by 19 Democrats to pass the amendment . . . ultimately, 76% of Republican Senators voted in favor while 60% of Democrat Senators voted against."  

  1812 - 1875 

Became vice president in 1872 with the re-election of republican Ulysses S Grant. Though born in Farmington New Hampshire, he left for Natick MA in 1833 at age 21. 

He rose politically as an abolitionist and  leading US senator from Massachusetts, he became very supportive of Oxford native Clara Barton, who founded 

the American Red Cross in 1881. 

1821 - 1912   

Born in North Oxford, Barton  was the founder and first president 

of the American Red Cross. 

She was a teacher in and around Oxford. In 1855 she began work in the US Patent office in Washington DC, being the first woman to receive a substantial clerkship in the federal government with equal pay as men, but also received much abuse and slander, resulting in reduced positions, eventually being fired in 1858 under democrat president James Buchanan due to her "Black Republicanism."

After the Civil War began, Barton began collecting clothing, food, and other supplies while taking care of sick and wounded soldiers. In August 1862 she was given permission to work on the front lines. Among her most supportive friends was republican senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts. 

After the war she began giving speeches. During this time she met suffragette Susan B Anthony. In 1869 during a trip to Switzerland, Barton was introduced to the Red Cross. She met with republican president Chester Arthur, who agreed a new Red Cross should respond during disasters and not just battlefields, The American Red Cross was founded in 1881. 

 The first reading of the Declaration of Independence was in Massachusetts was in Worcester  on July 14th, 1776 

September 6th 1774

 From the New England Historical Society: "In the fall of 1774, Massachusetts farmers won a revolution months before the war broke out at Lexington and Concord .
A judge appointed by the Crown, not answerable to the community, could seize on farmers’ small debts to foreclose on their land. The colonists feared the Crown-appointed judges would use the law to reduce them to serfdom . . .  On Sept. 6, 1774, the Court of Common Pleas for Worcester County was due to convene at the meeting house (now City Hall). The king’s newly appointed judges arrived to find Main Street lined by nearly 5,000 militiamen from 37 different towns — half the county’s adult male population. The protesters proclaimed that the courts should not sit on any terms.”Then they humiliated the court officers, forcing them to walk back and forth 30 times, hats in hand, repeating that they resigned and would not open the courts ."

1859 - 1925  

Born in Worcester, Workman was one of the first female professional mountaineers. She set several women's altitude records, published eight travel books with her husband, and championed women's rights and women's suffrage. She was the daughter of Worcester born Alexander Hamilton Bullock, the 26th governor (republican) of Massachusetts.