Lucy Hargrett Draper

Lucy leaves behind a large and loving family who cherished her love and light. Her legacy lives on through the countless lives she touched.

Lucy was a devoted advocate for women's rights and educational equity, leaving behind a legacy of tireless activism and dedication. Born in 1941 on a farm in Wayne County, South Georgia, she graduated from the University of Georgia and went on to earn advanced degrees in History, Education, and Law, which she applied to a half century of activism on behalf of educational, economic, and legal equity for women and educational reforms for children.

Lucy's activism spanned local, state, and national levels, with notable achievements including founding West Point N.O.W., focusing on the admission of women to the U.S. service academies, and Kansas W.E.A.L., centering around ratification of the Federal Equal Rights Amendment and women's rights. She was a founding member of the Georgia Women's Political Caucus and the Georgia Win List, and co-founder and President of the Democratic Women's Council, working within the Georgia Democratic Party to elect pro-choice men and women.

Her most enduring legacy, perhaps, is the Lucy Hargrett Draper Center and Archives for the Study of the Rights of Women in History and Law at the University of Georgia's Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Established in 1998, this collection preserves Lucy's extensive archive of rare books, treatises, manuscripts, artifacts, photographs, and ephemera documenting the British and United States Women's Suffrage Movements (1840-1920) and women's rights movements through the 20th century. For twenty years, the Hargrett Library has held Women's History Month Annual Exhibits of materials donated by Lucy, making her collection a vital resource for scholars and researchers.

Her contributions to women's rights were recognized with the ACLU of Georgia's 1980 Bill of Rights Award and the Georgia Federation of Business and Professional Women's Club's Mamie K. Taylor Award. Lucy also established the Lucy Hargrett Draper Collections on Women's Rights, Advocacy, and the Law at Georgia State University, and The Lucy Hargrett Draper Women at West Point & “Women Warriors” Collection at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Throughout her life, Lucy preserved the record of activism on behalf of women's rights movements in the 19th and 20th centuries, collecting rare materials and donating them to public institutions. Her enduring impact on women's rights and education survives her. The Lucy Hargrett Draper Center and Archives at UGA will remain a lasting testament to her dedication to women's rights and education.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate the life of Lucy on Monday, July 20, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at The Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30305. A reception will immediately follow the service.