Birney, Alice Josephine McLellan (1858-1907), was a cofounder of the National Congress of Mothers (NCM). She and Phoebe A. Hearst started the NCM in 1897, and Birney served as its first president. In 1925, the NCM became the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, the national organization of local parent-teacher associations (PTA’s).
Alice McLellan was born on Oct. 19, 1858, in Marietta, Georgia. She married Theodore W. Birney in 1892, and they had two daughters. As a mother, she felt that parents should participate more in their children’s development. Under her leadership, the NCM encouraged child study and supported local child welfare groups. It also organized state branches to promote cooperation between parents and teachers. Birney resigned as president in 1902.
Birney wrote several articles on child-raising for the Delineator, a women’s magazine. They were published in a book, Childhood (1905). Birney died on Dec. 20, 1907.
