Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn c. 1910s
Chairperson of the National Committee of the Communist Party USA
In office
January 31, 1961  September 5, 1964
Preceded byEugene Dennis
Succeeded byHenry Winston
Personal details
Born(1890-08-07)August 7, 1890
Concord, New Hampshire, U.S.
DiedSeptember 5, 1964(1964-09-05) (aged 74)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Resting placeWaldheim Cemetery, Chicago
Political partyCommunist Party USA (1936-1964)
Other political
affiliations
Industrial Workers of the World
American Civil Liberties Union
OccupationLabor leader, activist

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (August 7, 1890 September 5, 1964) was an American labor leader, activist, and feminist who played a leading role in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Flynn was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union and a visible proponent of women's rights, birth control, and women's suffrage. She joined the Communist Party USA in 1936 and late in life, in 1961, became its chairwoman. She died during a visit to the Soviet Union, where she was accorded a state funeral with processions in Red Square attended by more than 25,000 people.