The Woman’s Exponent

The Woman’s Exponent was started in the Salt Lake Valley.  In the 19^th century, it was one of three newspapers, written by and for women, in the west. It was never a church publication.  Women used this newspaper as a forum to teach, motivate, and advertise to the local women such gatherings as Woman’s Suffrage, Relief Society Meetings, Valley-wide projects like wheat information, medical classes, obituaries, and life histories of fellow sisters, etc.  Emmeline referred to it as “the Organ of the Relief Society”. 

The Woman's Exponent

It was roughly an eight-page newsletter that came out twice a month.  It carried factoids from other national newspapers as well as local stories of interest.  Poetry, household hints, and reports of various Relief Society Conferences would cover its pages.

It began publication in 1872 with Louisa Lula Greene (a niece of Brigham Young) as the first editor.  Emmeline B. Wells became the second and last editor for the next thirty-nine years.  It was literally her baby, where she became known as the beloved “Aunt Em”.  It would end its long run when Emmeline was called as the fifth General Relief Society President, and the church decided to start a new publication of its own.

Under Emmeline’s editorship, the Exponent became a well known platform for the female voice as Mormon women desired women’s rights and woman suffrage.   At one time, it was remarked that the Exponent “now wields more real power in our politics than all of the newspapers in Utah put together.”  The Exponent was published until 1914, when the Relief Society Bulletin and Magazine replaced it.   

The Church History Library holds all of the issues of the Woman’s Exponent