Blanche Wiesen Cook | |
|---|---|
 Blanche Wiesen Cook in 2018 | |
| Born | April 20, 1941 New York City |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Historian and professor |
| Notable work | Eleanor Roosevelt, 3-volume biography |
Blanche Wiesen Cook (born April 20, 1941 in New York City) is a historian and professor of history. She is a recipient of the Bill Whitehead Award.
Cook is the author of a three-volume biography about Eleanor Roosevelt: Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume One 1884–1933 (published 1992); Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume 2, The Defining Years, 1933–1938 (2000); and Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 3: The War Years and After, 1939-1962 (2016). Volume One was awarded the 1992 Biography prize from the Los Angeles Times. [1] A New York Times review of the third volume called the entire biography a "rich portrait" of the "monumental and inspirational life of Eleanor Roosevelt." [2] NPR included the third volume in its "Best books of 2016." [3] Notably, the biography details a disputed affair between Eleanor Roosevelt and reporter Lorena Hickok. [4] [5] (This affair has itself been the subject of other books.) [6]
She edited Toward the Great Change: Crystal and Max Eastman on Feminism, Antimilitarism, and Revolution, published in 1976, and Crystal Eastman on Women and Revolution, published in 1978. [7]
Cook is also the author of The Declassified Eisenhower: A Divided Legacy of Peace and Political Warfare, which was listed as a "notable book" in 1981 by '"The New York Times. [8]
Cook wrote opinion pieces for The New York Times, including "Clearly, Eisenhower Was a 'Militant Liberal'" (1980) [9] and "The Trashing of CUNY" (1994). [10]
She is a Distinguished Professor of History and Women's Studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. [11] She is also a Distinguished Professor at the Graduate Center, CUNY. [12]
An oral history interview with Cook is included in the Living U.S. women's history oral history project, 1999–2005, in which 51 scholars of women's history were interviewed. These oral histories are housed in the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History at Smith College. [13]
Cook co-founded the Freedom of Information and Access Committee of the Organization of American Historians, is a former vice president for research at the American Historical Association, and was chair of the Fund for Open Information and Accountability. [14]
In 1988, Cook took part in The History and Consequences of Anticommunism conference, where she argued that “every moment of our era has been touched and diminished by this crusade.” [15]
Cook received the 2010 Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Publishing Triangle. [16]
Roosevelt Island is an island in New York City's East River, within the borough of Manhattan. It lies between Manhattan Island to the west, and the borough of Queens, on Long Island, to the east. It is about 2 miles (3.2 km) long, with an area of 147 acres (0.59 km2), and had a population of 11,722 as of the 2020 United States Census. It consists of two largely residential communities: Northtown and Southtown. Roosevelt Island is owned by the city but was leased to the New York State Urban Development Corporation (UDC) for 99 years in 1969.
Lorena Alice "Hick" Hickok was an American journalist and long-term friend and possibly romantic partner of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd was an American woman who sustained a long affair with US president Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Anna Rebecca Hall Roosevelt was an American socialite. She was the mother of First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt. Anna was described as a celebrated beauty.
Marion Dickerman was an American suffragist, educator, vice-principal of the Todhunter School, and a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Nancy Cook was an American suffragist, educator, political organizer, business woman, and friend of Eleanor Roosevelt. She, Marion Dickerman and Roosevelt, were co-owners of Val-Kill Industries, the Women's Democratic News, and the Todhunter School.
Marie Souvestre was an educator who sought to develop independent minds in young women. She founded a school in France and when she left the school with one of her teachers she founded Allenswood Academy in London.
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms as president, making her the longest-serving first lady of the United States. Through her travels, public engagement, and advocacy, she largely redefined the role of first lady. Roosevelt then served as a United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952, and took a leading role in designing the text and gaining international support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1948, she was given a standing ovation by the assembly upon their adoption of the declaration. President Harry S. Truman later called her the "First Lady of the World" in tribute to her human rights achievements.
Marion Janet Harron was an American lawyer and United States Tax Court judge from 1936 to 1970. She is also known for her five-year affair with Lorena Hickok. Harron was a frequent visitor at the White House during the 1940s.
Malvina "Tommy" Thompson was a private secretary and personal aide to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. She was a pioneer of the East Wing staff, being the first staffer for a First Lady of the United States who was not a social secretary.
Earl Miller was a New York State Trooper who was a bodyguard and close friend of future First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt during her term as First Lady of New York. Whether the pair's relationship included a romantic element has been a subject of debate among historians.
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History is a 2014 American documentary television miniseries directed and produced by Ken Burns. It covers the lives and times of the three most prominent members of the Roosevelt family, Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican and the 26th President of the United States; Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, the 32nd President of the United States, and fifth cousin of Theodore; and Eleanor Roosevelt, the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, a niece of Theodore, and wife of Franklin. As a result of the influence of Theodore and Franklin as Presidents, as well as Eleanor as First Lady, a modern democratic state of equal opportunity was begun in the United States. The series begins with the birth of Theodore in 1858 and ends with the death of Eleanor in 1962.
Elizabeth Fisher Read was an attorney, scholar, and activist working for women's suffrage and world peace. She was a close friend and political mentor of Eleanor Roosevelt and also served as Roosevelt's attorney and financial advisor.
Esther Everett Lape was a well-known American peace activist and journalist. She wrote in support of immigration and workers' rights, and between the world wars, she was a vocal advocate for the US participation in the World Court. Lape was associated with the Women's Trade Union League and was one of the founders of the League of Women Voters.
Mary G. "Polly" Porter was a social worker and for more than 50 years the partner of Mary Dewson, feminist and political activist. Porter was a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt and part of her tight-knit circle of female friends.
Allenswood Boarding Academy was an exclusive girls' boarding school founded in Wimbledon, London, by Marie Souvestre in 1883 and operated until the early 1950s, when it was demolished and replaced with a housing development.
Gertrude Sumner Ely was an American philanthropist, based in Philadelphia. She was decorated for her bravery during World War I.
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States, from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945; as the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Because her husband was the longest-serving president, Eleanor is the longest-serving First Lady.
Eleanor and Franklin: The Story of Their Relationship, Based on Eleanor Roosevelt's Private Papers is a 1971 biography of Eleanor Roosevelt written by Joseph P. Lash. Its companion volume, Eleanor: The Years Alone (1972), covers her life as a widow after Franklin D. Roosevelt's death.
Eleanor: The Years Alone is a 1972 biography of Eleanor Roosevelt written by Joseph P. Lash. It is a companion volume to Eleanor and Franklin (1971), which covers her life through the death of her husband, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Eleanor: The Years Alone describes her life thereafter.
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