Lala Fay Watts

Lala Fay Watts (1881–1971) was an American suffragette, temperance advocate, and labor activist. Born in Massachusetts, she spent most of her life in Texas where she led multiple organized reform efforts. She was Texas' first child welfare inspector and first chief of the women's division in the Texas Department of Labor.

Early life Lala Fay was born December 23, 1881, along with a twin sister, in Northfield, Massachusetts. Her parents were Frank F. Fay and Carrie Fay (née Ware). When Fay was a teenager, the family, which by then included a third daughter, moved from Massachusetts to San Antonio, Texas.

Labor reform Watts was appointed Texas' first child welfare inspector in 1918. During World War I, child labor laws were not being strictly enforced due to the wartime labor shortage.

In 1919, Watts was named chief of the women's division of the Texas Department of Labor. To investigate conditions of factory workers first hand, Watts secured a job sewing overalls for a salary of $3. She joined the Garment workers union and worked in the factory until her boss discovered she was Mrs. Claude De Van Watts and fired her. Watts reported her findings back to the Texas Legislature and recommended a series of reforms for working women and children including a mother's pension, compulsory school attendance, increased sanitation, and rest periods. She was elected state president of the WCTU in 1922, a position she would hold for 41 years.