Frances E. Willard (Frances Elizabeth), 1839-1898, was born in Churchville, New York, and died in New York, New York. She graduated from Northwestern Female College in 1859 and went on to become a national leader in the fields of education, women's suffrage, and social reform. In 1873 she helped found the Association for the Advancement of Women. In 1874 she helped found the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and served as its president from 1879 until her death. She also helped found the World Women's Christian Temperance Union in 1883, and in 1888, along with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was a founder of the National Council of Women, serving as its first president. Willard was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame for her influence on transforming the role of women in America. Willard and Mary Baker Eddy were contemporaries who were familiar with and supported one another's causes. In 1887 Willard wrote a letter to Eddy thanking her for her contribution to the Temperance Temple, the headquarters of the WCTU in Chicago, Illinois.

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