Alva Vanderbilt Belmont: Unlikely Champion of Women's Rights

Appendix: Belmont’s Financial Contributions to Woman’s Rights

201 APPENDIX Belmont’s Financial Contributions to Woman’s Rights It is difficult to determine the exact value of Alva Belmont’s contributions to the woman’s rights movement between 1909 and her death in 1933. There is no way to accurately estimate the value of her time, energy, and administrative activities. Nor is there a systematic way to trace the amount she solicited from her friends and acquaintances. The financial records of the NAWSA and the NWP are incomplete. Those that do exist are to be found in a number of widely scattered collections. Not only do those records often overlap, making it impossible to get a clear picture of the total amount given, but they do not usually list individual contributors by name. Then there is the matter of “in kind” contributions such as furnishings, insurance payments, and lawyer’s fees as well as expenses paid out of pocket to individuals as reimbursements or for services rendered. All are difficult to account for precisely. For example, Belmont kept attorney George Gordon Battle on retainer for $1000 a month and then paid him to take care of the legal work for the NWP on a case-by-case basis. He drew up the deeds when she bought property for the NWP and prepared briefs when the NWP needed them for their presentations to Congress.1 But we do not know how often he did so or how long he was on retainer for such purposes. Belmont also paid for fund-raising events out of her own pocket. According to Alice Paul, there seemed to be no limit to the amount of money that Belmont was willing to spend. For example, early in her association with the CU, Belmont decided to give a dinner to benefit the organization at the Willard Hotel in order to attract members of Washington society to the cause. After she had made the necessary arrangements, she told Paul to invite whomever she wanted—the entire NWP national board, all of the state chairmen, and anyone who had made a significant contribution to the suffrage campaign. Paul estimated that the NWP entertained from 600 to 1000 guests that night.2 It should also be noted that information about how much money the NWP raised through fund-raisers was reported to the newspapers by people who 202 | Appendix had every reason to exaggerate the amount. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether the figures that appeared in print were gross figures or net figures. Since fund-raisers cost a great deal to put on, this distinction is important. Thus, what follows are examples of Belmont’s generosity rather than a tally of her total contributions to the cause of woman’s rights. Belmont’s Financial Contributions to the Suffrage Campaign (1909–1919) (PEA, NAWSA, and NWP) Contributions for 1909–1910—$41,1073 1911 (purchased and furnished new PEA headquarters)—$320,0004 Contributions for 1914—$61005 Contributions for 1915—$60156 Contributions for 1916—$20,6507 Contributions for 1917—$19,9008 Contributions for 1918—$38309 Contributions for 1919—$200010 Belmont’s Financial Contributions to the NWP after 1920 Contributions from February 25, 1921, to October 25, 1922—$179,55711 Additional contributions listed separately for that period:12 Furniture—$668 Purchased lease from tenants—$8000 Purchased headquarters property—$101,504 Paid taxes on property—$635 Paid insurance on property—$663 Additional payments on headquarters property paid by Belmont which did not pass through NWP treasury—$47,317 Executive salaries—$3246 Legal research salaries—$4600 Staff salaries—$400 Organization Department salaries—$2550 Treasury Department salaries—$220 Contributions from October 26, 1922, to November 1, 192313 Paid salaries in advance for legal research staff—$4200 Money for headquarters that did not pass through the treasury—$13,313 Contributions from July 1, 1921, to January 25, 1923—$192,37714 Bills paid by Belmont directly from October 1, 1921, to January 15, 1923—$61,15215 Belmont’s Financial Contributions to Woman’s Rights | 203 Contributions from July 1, 1921, to November 17, 1926—$209,51816 Salary paid to Alice Paul from October 15, 1921, to March 1927—$30,00017 Contributions for 1927—$668018 Contributions for 1928—$753219 Contributions for 1929—$693720 Contributions from January 16, 1930, to December 3, 1931—$23,50021 Belmont’s Contributions to the Woman’s Research Fund (Foundation)22 Contributions from August 6, 1923, to December 9, 1926—$27,500 Belmont’s Contributions to the NWP International Fund Contributions from...