Emily Newell Blair (January 9, 1877 – August 3, 1951) was an American writer, suffragist, feminist, national Democratic Party political leader, and a founder of the League of Women Voters.

[6] Her father, a native of Franklin, Venango County, Pennsylvania, as a young man, made a fortune in lumber and oil.

In 1883, he was elected as Jasper County recorder of deeds, and then he moved his family to Carthage, fifteen miles away from Joplin.

She returned to Carthage upon her father's death, before graduating, to help support and care for her brother and three sisters.

He was an active member of the Oxford Group (known as Moral Re-Armament from 1938 until 2001, and as Initiatives of Change since then) founded by Dr. Frank N.D.

[17] After the United States' entry into World War I, Blair became vice chair of the Missouri Woman's Committee of the Council of Defense.

When her husband went abroad for the YMCA, she accepted a position in the publicity department of the Women's Committee of the Council of National Defense, working for Ida M.

[19] In 1920, Blair published its history, "The Women's Committee, U.S. Council of National Defense: An Interpretive Report".

During her tenure as national vice chairwoman, she was continually seeking Democratic support in Congress for issues in which women were interested.

The United States Children's Bureau created by President William Howard Taft in 1912, was of interest to all women and worked for support for it from Democrats.

[21] She started meeting with then Congressman, later Speaker of the House, Sam Rayburn of Texas to gather support.

Years later she recalled that she ran into him at a Washington, D.C., restaurant shortly after the Roosevelt administration came into power, he came across the room to her table and asked her what she wanted in the way of an appointment.

When she told him nothing, that already she had had all she wanted from politics – much fun and work and many fine friends, he replied: "Well, if you change your mind and I can help, let me know, for if anyone is entitled to the fruits of victory you are that one.

In her autobiography, she remembered how she was described by Senator Carter Glass: "I was like the drink called Southern Comfort which goes down so smooth and easily but has an awful kick afterwards".