Courtney, Kathleen (1878–1974)

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Courtney, Kathleen (1878–1974)

British suffragist and pacifist. Name variations: Kathleen D'Olier Courtney; Dame Kathleen Courtney. Born Kathleen D'Olier (also seen as d'Olier) Courtney, 1878, in Chatham, England; grew up in Kensington; died Dec 7, 1974, in England; dau. of Alice Margaret Courtney and Major David C. Courtney of the Royal Engineers; attended boarding school in Dresden; studied modern languages at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford; never married; no children.

Served as honorary secretary of Oxford branch of National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (1911–14); attended Women's Congress at The Hague (1915) and was co-founder of Women's International League for Peace, serving as its British Section chair for 10 years; worked with Serbian refugees during WWI and with Society of Friends in Europe; became executive member of British League of Nations Union (1928) and vice-chair (1939); lectured in US for Ministry of Information and was in San Francisco for drawing-up of UN Charter; served as vice-chair, chair, and joint-president of British Branch of UN Association. Made CBE (1946) and DBE (1952).

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