orig. Amelia Jenks
born May 27, 1818, Homer, N.Y., U.S.
died Dec. 30, 1894, Council Bluffs, Iowa
U.S. reformer.
In 1840 she married Dexter Bloomer, a Quaker newspaper editor. She wrote articles on education, unjust marriage laws, and women's suffrage and published the biweekly Lily (184954). Among her interests was dress reform, and the full trousers that she wore came to be known as bloomers. Her costume generated considerable publicity and helped to attract large crowds to her lectures in New York City, where she often shared the platform with Susan B. Anthony and the Rev. Antoinette L. Brown.