Mississippi native Lucy Somerville Howorth (1895--1997) championed the rights of women long before feminism emerged as a widely recognized movement. Dorothy S. Shawhan and Martha H. Swain tell her remarkable life story -- from a small-town upbringing to her career as an attorney, to her role as a New Deal activist in Washington, D.C. Howorth became known for her leadership qualities and quick appraisal of social problems, particularly as they affected women. She became general counsel of the War Claims Commission and held a presidential appointment under four different presidents.This first-ever biography of Howorth bestows long-overdue recognition of her many notable achievements and illuminates the activism of women in the decades often considered to be the doldrums of the women's movement.

Dorothy S. Shawhan is the author of the historical novel Lizzie. She lives in Cleveland, Mississippi, where she is chair of the Division of Languages and Literature and a professor of English at Delta State University.

Martha H. Swain is the author of Pat Harrison: The New Deal Years and Ellen S. Woodward: New Deal Advocate for Women, winner of the Eudora Welty Award from the Mississippi University for Women. She is Cornaro Professor Emerita of History at Texas Woman's University and lives in Starkville, Mississippi, where she most recently has taught history at Mississippi State University.