Emily Bissell

Emily Perkins Bissell
Bissell in 1907
Born(1861-05-31)May 31, 1861
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Died(1948-03-08)March 8, 1948
Pen namePriscilla Leonard
OccupationWriter and charitable worker
LanguageEnglish

Emily Perkins Bissell (May 31, 1861 – March 8, 1948) was an American social worker and activist, best remembered for introducing Christmas Seals to the United States.

Born in Wilmington, Delaware, she made a name for herself at a young age as the founder of that city's first public kindergarten and for her efforts to introduce child labor laws in that state. In 1883, she founded an organization, now known as the West End Neighborhood House that originally provided social services to Wilmington's immigrant Irish and German families. Bissell wrote under the pseudonym Priscilla Leonard.