Potonie-Pierre, Eugénie

(1844-1898)

   feminist, political activist

   Born in Paris, where she was the first woman to stand for municipal election, Eugénie Potonie-Pierre was a cofounder of the union des Femmes.

   She worked on various feminist journals (Le Journal des femmes) and was responsible for uniting eight Parisian feminist groups to form the Fédération française des Sociétés féministes. In 1893, she ran as a candidate for the National Assembly and, in 1897, led the French delegation to the Feminist Congress in Brussels, Belgium. Eugénie Potonie-Pierre remained a leader of the socialist feminist movement until her death.