Alma Webster Hall Powell
Alma Webster Hall Powell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alma Webster Hall November 20, c. 1869 Elgin, Illinois, United States |
| Died | March 11, 1930 Mahwah, New Jersey, United States |
| Resting place | Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | New York University, LL.B. (1900) Columbia University, Mus. Bac. and M.A. (1910) Columbia University, Ph.D. (1913) |
| Occupation(s) | Opera singer (soprano), suffragist, writer, lecturer |
| Political party | Socialist Party of America |
| Spouse | Adoniram Judson Powell (married 1891) |
| Children | 1 |
| Signature | |
Alma Webster Hall Powell (November 20, c. 1869 – March 11, 1930), also known as Alma Webster Powell or Alma Webster-Powell, was an American operatic soprano, suffragist, philanthropist, writer, film scenarist, inventor, and member of the Socialist Party.
Powell toured America and Europe as a primadonna soprano, using her breaks from her singing career to carry out philanthropic work and activism, as well as to pursue higher education in a variety of fields, including law, music, and political science. She was the first person to earn a doctorate from the political science department of Columbia University for a treatise on music. She also wrote photoplays about suffrage, patented multiple inventions related to women's fashion, advocated for fashion reform, and lectured on music therapy at universities and colleges around America. She had a three octave vocal range.