François Marie Charles Fourier (April 7, 1772 - October 10, 1837) was a French utopian socialist an philosopher. Fourier is credited by modern scholars with having originated the word féminisme in 1837; as early as 1808, he had argued that the extension of women's rights was the general principle of all social progress. Fourier inspired the founding of the communist community called La Reunion near present-day Dallas, Texas as well as several other communities within the United States of America, such as the North American Phalanx.