The La Crosse Business and Professional Women's Club was organized as “The Business Women's Club” at a 1916 meeting at the La Crosse YWCA. Dr. Esther Ferrand was the first president. In 1920, the club joined the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs (although as a member of the Wisconsin Federation it later withdrew during a dues dispute and re-affiliated in 1925). Two years later the Wisconsin Federation was incorporated, and the La Crosse organization became an affiliate. At that time the La Crosse club had 73 members.
The concerns of Business and Professional Women's clubs include: establishment of ties among working women, promotion of legislative actions benefiting working women, participation in programs that address women's concerns and provide personal and professional development, achievement of career goals and proficiencies through improved skills, and provision of support to women as business and community leaders. The state and national federations provide local groups with instruction through workshops, and sponsor conferences and annual conventions to educate members and foster a spirit of unity and cooperation. The La Crosse club hosted annual state conventions in 1928, 1961, and 1989. The La Crosse BPW celebrated the 60th anniversary of its affiliation with the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs in 1980.
Also in 1980, the La Crosse club sponsored the Scenic Bluffs BPW Club in the Holmen-Onalaska area, and the Dairyland BPW Club in the Whitehall, Independence, and Blair areas. These new clubs joined the La Crosse, Sparta, Tomah, Neillsville, and Vernon Area clubs in the west central Wisconsin BPW district (District 4, Coulee Region District BPW). The Coulee Region BPW, chartered in 1981, also joined this district and continued as a part of BPW activities until 1992 when it merged with the La Crosse group.
Activities of the La Crosse BPW included a scholarship fund, begun in 1949 for local high school girls. In 1965, this annual award was named the “Dora Marshall Scholarship,” after a long-time BPW member. The La Crosse club also participated in the Business and Professional Women's Foundation, supported by the National Federation to provide financial assistance for education, and sponsored lectures, seminars, and conferences. Throughout its history, the La Crosse BPW has supported the cause of women's rights including the Equal Rights Amendment, child labor laws, and civil service reform.
