Ruth Hinshaw Spray

Ruth Hinshaw Spray (February 16, 1848 – February 26, 1929) was an American peace activist. Spray was prominent as a teacher in the public schools and work for the protection of children and animals. She was also active in the work of child labor organizations and in the international peace cause, Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), Retail Clerks' Association, and other associations for public welfare. Her parents were Benjamin and Nancy (Carter) Hinshaw.

She was educated in the public schools at Indianola, Iowa, and as student there in Simpson College. She graduated from Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana (B.S., 1874).

She was actively engaged in the work for international peace. She was a member of the Universal Peace Union, and she served as vice-president of the American Peace Society for 16 years. She was also State superintendent of Peace and Arbitration for the Colorado WCTU, and district president of the 12th Colorado District WCTU. Spray was a delegate to the International Peace Congress, held in Boston, 1904. She worked continuously for international peace, getting hundreds of petitions before the U.S. Congress and other petitions sent to U.S. delegates to each of the two Hague Conferences and by wide distribution of peace literature. Since 1902, Spray worked to get the teachers of Colorado to take up the subject of international peace, and many schools of Colorado were thus induced to teach the subject and to observe May 18 as International Peace Day.