Pattie Ruffner Jacobs
Pattie Ruffner Jacobs (sometimes spelled Patti or Patty; October 2, 1875 – December 22, 1935) was an American suffragist from Birmingham, Alabama. She was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1978. Life Pattie Ruffner was born October 2, 1875, in West Virginia; she died December 22, 1935. She was educated at Ward's Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee, but was unable to continue her studies during the economic crisis of the 1890s. Her parents' marriage dissolved during that period and Pattie moved with her mother to Birmingham to stay with an older sister's family. Ruffner married Birmingham businessman Solon Jacobs and took advantage of his means to travel and to enroll in voice classes in New York City. Over time, she became more politically active in the swirl of Progressivism which was reshaping Birmingham as a New South city of industry. Jacobs joined the fight against child labor, convict leasing, and prostitution which were all endemic in the Birmingham District. She was an active member of the Salvation Army and the Jefferson County Anti-Tuberculosis Association. Her increasing national standing led to her participation in the campaign for the sale of Liberty Bonds during World War I. It was after