The Lawrence Friends in Council was founded in 1871 by Elizabeth Perkins Leonard who came to Lawrence from Quincy, Illinois. She had been appointed professor of modern languages, drawing and painting at the University. While in Quincy, Miss Leonard had been a member of the newly formed women's study club called Friends in Council. She recognized that such a group in Lawrence could provide an outlet for women who missed cultural activities in the East; thus, she and several of her friends met in her living quarters and organized the Friends. Jane A. Snow, Emma Thacher, and Mary Frances Simpson, who was the first public librarian in Lawrence, were among those who formed the club. Over the years the women studied and read a broad range of topics, including literature, history, art and music. During the late 1920s the Friends became more service oriented, e.g, providing quarters for social service women, money for maternity loans, participating in hospital auxiliary and public welfare work. They also provided money for University scholarships. Such activities as these have been continued by the Friends over the years.