Margaret Yardley – NJ Federation of Women’s Clubs

Margaret Tufts Swan Yardley (1844-1928)

Jersey gem: Lived in East Orange

Margaret Tufts Swan Yardley was a founding member and the first president in 1894 of the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs. She focused her efforts on enlarging and increasing the influence of women in New Jersey.

In addition, as the director and president of the Orange Orphans’ Society, Yardley played an integral role in the establishment of the first Homeopathic Hospital of the Oranges. In this position, she also fought for the improvement of state child labor laws.

Yardley remained an active part of political life in East Orange until her early eighties. She was a member of the Colonial Dames of America and founded the Essex County chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).