Emily Davison Biography

Emily Davison was a women's suffrage activist in Britain who died after a tragic accident involving King George V's horse Anmer. A militant activist, she was known to employ sensational and attention-grabbing tactics for promoting the cause of women’s suffrage. She was a feminist to the core and a very bold and courageous woman who would leave no stone unturned in order to campaign for feminist causes, especially women’s right to vote which was the cause closest to her heart. Born in London in 1872, she grew up in an era when not many women enjoyed the privilege of getting an education. A bright student, she was determined to receive a high quality education and attended classes at Royal Holloway College and at Oxford University in spite of the fact that women were not allowed to take degrees at that time. She embarked on a career as a teacher at a time when few women ventured out of their homes to seek a job. Soon she became involved with the women’s suffrage movement and quit her job to become a full time activist. She gained the reputation of being a violent campaigner and was arrested numerous times for her activism. Her tragic death following a collision with the king’s horse during the Epsom Derby in 1913 immortalized her as a militant activist