The National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs was created at the call of the Young Women's Christian Association of St. Louis in 1919. Soon after, local YWCAs across the United States began organizing clubs designed to meet the needs and interests of business and professional women. Lelia Bascom of the University of Wisconsin was instrumental in organizing the first Wisconsin chapter, which came into official existence on December 4, 1919. By the spring of 1920 several other clubs had been formed throughout Wisconsin. A year later Alma Barry of Milwaukee called a convention for all Wisconsin's clubs, now numbering six, to organize a state-wide federation. After a constitution was written and approved, Barry was elected the first president, and during 1922 the Wisconsin Federation was incorporated under the laws of the State of Wisconsin. Due to financial disagreements, the Wisconsin Federation was not part of the national organization from 1921 to 1925, but in 1925, it rejoined the national organization.
In 1927, the Legislative Committee of the Wisconsin State Legislature recommended that the Wisconsin Federation become a member of the Women's Legislative Council, a group which monitored proposed legislation concerning women, children, sex discrimination, and other issues of concern to women.
The Wisconsin Business Woman, the official publication of the Wisconsin Federation, appeared in October, 1928. In the following decade the Wisconsin Federation took on several projects related to education and conservation: sending girls to the University of Wisconsin's School for Workers, and planting trees in the Chequamegon National Forest. They also gathered data for various occupational studies undertaken by the national organization and studied the problems of Wisconsin's rural schools.
World War II restricted the activities of the organization, but local groups were involved in aiding the war effort. The first small business clinic was held in 1952 as part of what became an ongoing effort in business education. Conferences to inform women about politics were established in 1954 under the direction of a Women in Government Committee. Membership expansion was also an effort of the late 1950s and 1960s. During this period the Wisconsin Federation achieved a rating of 90 percent and third place in a national membership campaign.
Support of conservation also continued as an interest of the Wisconsin Federation. WFBPW supported the Trees for Tomorrow Camp at Eagle River in 1961, sponsored natural resource tours, offered camp scholarships for young people, and, for many years, participated in the Wisconsin Roadside Council.
The year 1967 was a milestone for the Wisconsin Federation, because after serving as Wisconsin's first national officer for seven years, Mabel McClanahan was elected the first national president from Wisconsin.
The golden anniversary of the state and national federation was celebrated in 1969, and in the same club year Wisconsin received a Winged Victory Trophy at the national convention for the highest membership increase. In addition, a history of the Wisconsin federation, Fifty Years of Progress, was published.
During the 1970s and 1980s increased emphasis was placed on legislative activities. As part of their annual legislative platform, the federation worked for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and the Wisconsin Equal Rights Amendment. They also sponsored numerous conferences to help women develop their leadership abilities and to deal with various women's problems.
