was actually an anti-suffragist, Mary Ward:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Augusta_Ward
Having said that, the leadership of the main suffragist association, the WSPU (Christabel and Emmeline Pankhurst) were major drivers behind the White Feathers movement, and played a large role in its popularisation. Partially this was due to the fact that the WSPU agreed to cease militant action during World War I in order to further the war effort. They needed something sufficiently engaging to keep their followers occupied in the meantime. Handing white feathers to men in the street seemed to fit the bill.
The white feathers movement was extremely effective at persuading men to volunteer. Many youths who were not even of fighting age were handed feathers anyway and turned up at the recruiting station in tears, even lying about their age in order to get sent to the front. There was also some speculation at the time that suffragists encouraged young women to give their menfolk white feathers if they wanted to get rid of them.
It was not uncommon for men to react violently to being given white feathers. Particularly this was so if they happened to be veterans that had been discharged home or that were home temporarily on leave.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmeline_Pankhurst#First_World_War
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