Electa Matilda Ziegler

Electa Matilda Curtis was born in Schuylerville, New York, the daughter of Henry D. and Electa Abel Curtis.[1][2]

After her second husband's death in 1905, Ziegler commanded a significant fortune.[3] She took an interest in the education of blind students because of her son, Charles, who was blinded in an accident as a child. In 1907, she established a monthly magazine known as the Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind, which was printed in braille and other raised-print (embossed) systems.[4] Edited by Walter G. Holmes,[5] the Ziegler offered 48 pages of fiction, scientific articles, current events, instruction in handiwork, and occasionally raised maps.[6] Through the generosity of Ziegler, it was furnished without charge, and by a special provision of the U. S. Congress, it was sent free to every blind person in the United States or Canada who could read braille.[7][6] Helen Keller said of Ziegler, "She must realize the happiness and encouragement which the magazine has brought during twenty-five years to the dwellers of darkland. Thousands upon thousands utter with affection her name."[2]

Curtis's first marriage was to Edward Gamble; they had a son, Charles, before they divorced. Charles Gamble died in 1917.[2] Her second marriage, on July 22, 1886, was to William Ziegler (1843–1905), an industrialist who co-founded the Royal Baking Powder Company. The Zieglers adopted a daughter, Florence,[8] and a son, William Ziegler Jr. (1891-1958),[9] who became president of the American Foundation for the Blind.[3]

Electa Matilda Ziegler died in 1932, aged 91 years, in New York City.[2][10] The E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation for the Blind continues her work by funding research on blindness and eye disease;[11][12] the magazine ceased hard-copy and audio publication in 2009.[13]