Anna Pennybacker

Anna J. Hardwicke Pennybacker (May 7, 1861 – February 4, 1938) was an American educator, author, and activist for peace and woman rights. Pennybacker started teaching in 1880 in a Missouri grammar school and later a Missouri high school as a history teacher and the principal. In 1888, she published A New History of Texas for Schools which found its way into many Texas classrooms. She then left Missouri for Texas in 1893. When she moved to Austin after her husband died (1899) she became very involved in woman rights activism by heading the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs (1901-1903). Pennybacker later met Eleanor Roosevelt through their involvement with the Democratic National Committee, and carried on a fourteen-year friendship with her.