Eugénie M. Rayé-Smith (1871 - July 9, 1914) was an American lawyer, educator and suffragist.
Eugénie Marie Rayé-Smith was born around 1871 and attended public school in New York City. [1] [2] She earned her bachelor's degree in 1899 and her master's degree in 1901 from New York University (NYU) where she studied law. [3] She went on to teach the Woman's Law Class at NYU. [4] She married Alexander G. Smith in 1906. [1]
She served as the vice president of the Women Lawyers' Club in New York, which she helped to organize. [5] Rayé-Smith was the first editor of the Women Lawyers Journal (WLJ), which was started in May 1911. [6] As an advocate of women's suffrage, Rayé-Smith founded the Fortnightly Suffrage Club of Richmond Hill. [7] She was well known for her suffrage songs and verses. [8] In 1912, she published an expanded edition of the book, Equal Suffrage Song Sheaf, which included three new songs. [9] This "second edition" was one of the most popular women's suffrage songsters. [10]
Rayé-Smith died in her home on July 9, 1914, at the age of 43. [1] She was buried in Greenwood Cemetery. [1] The next year, the Fortnightly Suffrage Club held a memorial in her honor. [11] The Women Lawyers Journal, nearly a decade after her death, praised Rayé-Smith for her work as editor, noting that her efforts helped grow the "meetingless club" of women lawyers. [12]