Elsie Shrigley
Elsie Beatrice Shrigley, also known as Sally Shrigley, was an English activist for vegetarianism and veganism. A long-standing member of the Vegetarian Society, she co-founded The Vegan Society in 1944 with Donald Watson following the Society's rejection of a proposal to form a non-dairy section. Shrigley is sometimes credited with helping to coin the term "vegan" and played a central role in shaping the early vegan movement, later serving as president of The Vegan Society and remaining active in its committee until her death.
Biography
Early and personal life
Shrigley was born in North London in 1899 to a Swedish mother and Danish father. She married Walter Shrigley, a dentist, in 1939.Vegetarian and vegan activism
Shrigley became a vegetarian in 1934 and gave up dairy products in 1944. In August of that year, she and Donald Watson proposed the creation of a non-dairy section within the Vegetarian Society. When the proposal was rejected, they and several others founded The Vegan Society in November 1944, marking the formal beginning of the vegan movement. Shrigley is sometimes credited with coining the term "vegan" with Watson.She served as honorary secretary of the Croydon Vegetarian Society from 1940 to 1958, later becoming secretary of the Surrey Vegetarian Society. She also briefly served as acting secretary of the London Vegetarian Society and held several leadership positions within The Vegan Society, including its presidency from 1960 to 1963. Shrigley remained an active member of the society's committee until her death.