Hurst, Phoebe

Phoebe Elizabeth Upperton Hurst (December 3, 1842 - April 13, 1919) is an American philanthropist and feminist ^[4] , best known as the mother of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hurst .

Born in Missouri Franklin County. At the age of 19, she married George Hurst, who later became the United States Senator. Shortly after the wedding, the young couple moved to California, in San Francisco, where Phoebe gave birth to her only son, William.

In the 1880s, she was an active philanthropist. In particular, she was the main sponsor and director of the Golden Gate Kindergarten Association ^[5] , as well as the first president of the California-based Club of the Century ^[6] . In addition, she was the main beneficiary of the University of California at Berkeley and the first female regent in its history. From 1897, she served on the council for the rest of her life. In addition, in 1897 she actively participated in the creation of the National Congress of Mothers, which became the forerunner of the National Association of Parents and Teachers. In 1900, she became a co-founder of the National Cathedral School; a public primary school next to this institution is named after her ^[7] .

In 1898, Hurst changed her religious beliefs: being a parishioner of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church ^[8] , she converted to the Baha'i faith and subsequently played an important role in the spread of this religion in the United States ^{[9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]} . December 14, 1889 she arrived in Ottoman Palestine (now Israel), making a pilgrimage to Akku and Haifa. She later described these events as “These three days were the most memorable days of my life” ^{[16] [17]} .

She died on April 13, 1919 from a Spanish woman at the age of 76. She was buried in California, in the Kipress Lown Memorial Park in Colma, San Mateo County, California ^[17] .