Lila Meade Valentine

Lila Meade Valentine (born Lila Hardaway Meade; February 4, 1865 – July 14, 1921) was an American education reformer, healthcare advocate, and one of the main leaders of her state's participation in the woman's suffrage movement in the United States. She worked to improve public education through her co-founding and leadership of the Richmond Education Association, and advocated for public health by founding the Instructive Visiting Nurses Association, through which she helped eradicate tuberculosis from the Richmond area.

Valentine co-founded the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia and served as its first president. Under her leadership the league began a campaign to educate Virginia's citizens and legislators on the topic of women's suffrage and brought the issue to the floor of the General Assembly three times between the years 1912 and 1916. Within 10 years of its founding, the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia became the largest political organization in the state.

When Valentine's legislative efforts proved unsuccessful at the state level, she focused her attention on the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, seeing it become law shortly before her death. Her father was the co-founder of Meade & Baker Apothecary, which became the largest apothecary in the city of Richmond.

Valentine was an avid reader and spent hours in her father's library. Her family was well-off and provided her with a formal education commensurate with her societal standing, but she wished to attend college. However, at the time, most universities in Virginia did not admit women, and Valentine would never go on to receive a degree.

She and her husband had a stillborn child in 1888 but had no surviving children. She never fully regained her health after the birth and a subsequent surgery; she suffered attacks of indigestion and migraines for the remainder of her life.

Valentine served as REA president from 1900 to 1904, during which time the organization led initiatives to improve teacher training; increase teacher pay; bring kindergarten and vocational training into city schools; and construct public playgrounds.

During her tenure as REA president, Valentine, with Munford, led the charge in replacing Richmond's only high school at the time, which had never been renovated since its construction in 1879. By speaking out about the filthy, hazardous, rat-infested school—and inviting reporters on a tour to document the conditions—Valentine helped secure a $600,000 appropriation for the construction of John Marshall High School. The school opened in 1909 on the current site of the John Marshall Courts Building in downtown Richmond.

Valentine wanted the 1903 meeting of the Southern Education Board to address the educational challenges faced by poor whites and African Americans—a topic she knew would draw ire from some of her fellow Southerners. She also knew they may be leery of any organization with Northern leadership. She held several citizen meetings where she, with the help of other education advocates, explained how the Southern Education Board could help Richmond.

Health care reform Valentine's work in public schools made her aware of the need for improved access to health care, as she saw children suffering from treatable illnesses. In January 1902 at the area Woman's Club, Valentine heard Sadie Heath Cabiness, director of nurses at Old Dominion Hospital, speak about her work establishing the Nurses' Settlement two years earlier and the importance of teaching patients about hygiene, nutrition, and home care in efforts to lower hospital readmission rates. Cabiness also shared the ongoing struggles she and her volunteer nurses faced in raising financial support and public buy-in of their work.

In 1912, Valentine met with several of Richmond's most prominent businessmen and convinced them to found the Men's Equal Suffrage League of Virginia. |author=|title=|source=

Marginalizing African American women Valentine and members of the Equal Suffrage League privately supported women's suffrage for all, regardless of race.

Life as a public suffragist

Valentine preferred a "quiet, educational propaganda" but a women's suffrage amendment never passed. After the failure in 1916, Valentine and others turned their focus to fighting for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. By 1918 Valentine personally supported the Susan B. Anthony Amendment. Valentine's support of a federal amendment opened her up to new criticism from those who supported states' rights.

Valentine died at 12:15 pm on July 14, 1921, at St. Luke's hospital, without ever casting a ballot. She was 56 years old.

Valentine's memorial service was held at Monumental Episcopal Church where she had been married 25 years earlier; the church was filled to capacity for the service.

Valentine was buried at Hollywood Cemetery next to her husband, B.B. The General Assembly placed a marble bas-relief portrait by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth of Valentine, presented by the Lila Meade Valentine Memorial Foundation, in the Virginia State Capitol in 1936. She was the first woman to be honored there.

In 2000, Valentine was honored by the Library of Virginia as part of the inaugural class of Virginia Women in History.

Valentine's name is featured on the Wall of Honor on the Virginia Women's Monument, located in Capitol Square in Richmond.