Who was Annie Oakley?
Name: Annie Oakley
Born: 13th August, 1860
Died: 3rd November, 1926
Occupation: American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter
Legacy: Pioneering female shooter
Significant Achievements: Taught over 15000 women to shoot, performed for Kaiser Wilhelm II and Queen Victoria and madecontributions to the war effort in the First World War.
Annie Oakley was born Phoebe Ann Mosey in Darke County, Ohio in 1860. The daughter of Jacob and Susan, Oakley was the the sixth out of nine children. Her father, a veteran of the 1812 War, died in 1866 of pneumonia leaving Annie fatherless at only six years old. Annie’s mother was unable to cope and due to financial struggles, sent Annie and her elder sister Sarah Ellen to the the Darke County Infirmary in 1870. Annie was then put in the care of a local farming family, who were both abusive and negligent towards their charge. She stayed there for two years before running away to the Infirmary, from which she was shortly reutrned to her mother.
It was in this period that Annie’s skills as a shooter really developed. After watching her father hunt from an early age, Annie progressed to both hunting and trapping on her return. She earned money for the family by selling her hunted game, and began to build a reputation as a brilliant markswoman. Annie was so good that by the age of fifteen, she was able to pay off the mortgage on her mother’s home.
Annie first entered the public eye after meeting Frank Butler, a travelling performing marksman, in Ohio. A match was arranged on Thanksgiving between the pair, with Annie winning after Frank missed his 25th shot. The feat was significant at the time, particularly considering Butler was already established as a marksman and Annie was a five foot tall, fifteen year old girl, barely known in shooting circles.
Annie and Frank eventually married, and following the withdrawal of Frank’s partner due to illness in 1882, began performing together. Frank was quick to realise Annie was the bigger draw, and began to showcase her as the lead act.
In 1884, Butler and Oakley met Buffalo Bill. After a three day trial, the couple joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, where they would go on to perform for 16 seasons. Audiences were enthralled by Oakley – she could shoot playing cards whilst still in the air and targets by looking at a mirror; she even entertained the likes of Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Annie retired from sharpshooting in 1913, following a period of acting in films and plays. She went on to make significant contributions to the war effort. Oakley volunteered to organize a regiment of female sharpshooters, but after her suggestion was ignored, went on to raise money for the Red Cross by putting on exhibitons at Army Camps.
Annie died in 1926, aged 66, with her death prompting a wave of tributes from all over the country. Whilst she might have been most well- known as a superb female sharp-shooter, her legacy reached above and beyond her exploits in the Wild West Show. Oakley was a pioneer for women’s societal roles in the 19th and 20th century. In a time where women rarely existed beyond domestics, she demonstrated a new way of living for her gender. Oakley believed strongly that every woman should know how to use a gun. Throughout her life, she taught upwards of 15,000 women to use a rifle, promoting it not only as a means of ‘form of physical and mental exercise’ but also as a method of defence. Annie also extended her celebrity beyond shooting to campaign for equal pay for women , elevating her from the status of renowned sportswoman to female rights activist.
Annie Oakley was a pioneer of her time, who raised social expectations and perceptions of women and highlighted the role they could play in the world of sharpshooting. Her actions created change in the world she lived in, which I believe makes her eligible for recognition as both a high-achieving activist and pioneer of the past.
References:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/interview/oakley-world/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Oakley
http://www.biography.com/people/annie-oakley-9426141#synopsis
Her Cause 