Edith Nourse Rogers
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2008) |
Edith Nourse Rogers | |
---|---|
Chair of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee | |
In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955 | |
Preceded by | John E. Rankin |
Succeeded by | Olin E. Teague |
In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | John E. Rankin |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 5th district | |
In office June 30, 1925 – September 10, 1960 | |
Preceded by | John Jacob Rogers |
Succeeded by | F. Bradford Morse |
Personal details | |
Born | Edith Nourse March 19, 1881 Saco, Maine, U.S. |
Died | September 10, 1960 (aged 79) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | |
Edith Rogers (née Nourse; March 19, 1881 – September 10, 1960) was an American
Early life
Edith Nourse was born on March 19, 1881, in Saco, Maine, to Franklin T. Nourse, the manager of a textile mill,[3] and Edith France Riversmith, who volunteered with the Christian church and social causes.[4] Both parents were from old New England families, and were able to have their daughter privately tutored until she was fourteen. Edith Nourse then attended and graduated from Rogers Hall School, a private boarding school for girls in Lowell, Massachusetts, and then Madame Julien's School, a finishing school at Neuilly near Paris, France.[5]
Like her mother, she volunteered with the church and other charities. In 1907, she married
During this period, Edith Rogers volunteered with the Young Men's Christian Association (
At the end of the war, her husband joined the
Congresswoman
This experience served her well when her husband died on March 28, 1925, in the middle of his seventh term in Washington, D.C. Spurred by pressure from the Republican Party and the
Her term started on June 30, 1925, making her the sixth woman elected to Congress, after
After her election to the 69th Congress, Rogers was reelected to the
On the afternoon of December 13, 1932, Marlin Kemmerer perched on the gallery railing of the U.S. House of Representatives, waved a pistol, and demanded the right to speak. As other representatives fled in panic, Reps. Rogers and
Legislator
Rogers was regarded as capable by her male peers and became a model for younger Congresswomen. Her trademark was an orchid or a gardenia on her shoulder. She was also an active legislator and sponsored more than 1,200 bills, over half on veteran or military issues. She voted for a permanent nurse corps in the Department of Veteran's Affairs, and benefits for disabled veterans and veterans of the Korean War.
In 1937 she sponsored a bill to fund the maintenance of the neglected
Rogers was an advocate for the textile and
A confidential 1943 analysis of the
an Isolationist up to and including the Lend-Lease, after which, however, she swung in behind the President on all major foreign policy measures. Though she is likely to continue her support, she will only do so after she has convinced herself that America's own best interests are thoroughly protected and that the Administration is not trying to "put something across." She is regarded in Congress as a capable, hard-working and intelligent woman. A pleasant and kindly old battle-axe— but a battle-axe. An Episcopalian; age 62. Probably nationalist rather than internationalist in outlook.
German refugees
Rogers was one of the first members of Congress to speak out against
The bill was supported by religious and
WAAC
Women had served in the United States military before. In 1901, a female
The first American women enlisted into the regular armed forces were 13,000 women admitted into active duty in the
Rogers' volunteer work in World War I exposed her to the status of the women with the
After the December 7, 1941
While "Auxiliaries", and thus not a part of the regular army, the WAACs were given food, clothing, housing, medical care, training, and pay. They did not receive death benefits, medical care as veterans, retirement or disability pensions, or overseas pay. They were given auxiliary ranks which granted no command authority over men, and also earned less than men with comparable regular army ranks, until November 1, 1942, when legislation equalized their remuneration. Since they were not regular army they were not governed by army regulations, and if captured, were not protected by international conventions regarding the treatment of prisoners of war (POWs).
On July 30, 1942, Public Law 77-554 created the
The initial goal of 25,000 WAACs by June 30, 1943, was passed in November 1942. The goal was reset at 150,000, the maximum allowed by law, but competition from sister units like the WAVES and the private war industry, the retention of high educational and moral standards, underuse of skilled WAACs, and a spate of vicious gossip and bad publicity in 1943 prevented the goal from ever being reached.
The rumors of immoral conduct were widely published by the
Women's Army Corps
Edith Rogers introduced a bill in October 1942 to make the WAACs a formal part of the
The WACs received the same pay, allowances, and benefits as regular army units, though time spent as a WAC did not count toward time served and the allowance for dependents was heavily restricted. The WACs were now
As part of the regular Army, WACs could not be permanently assigned as
WACs also served overseas, and close to the front lines. During the invasion of
On
Despite the noncombatant status of her directorate, Oveta Hobby was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the third-highest U.S. Army decoration and the highest one which can be awarded for non-combat service. The WACs were awarded a total of 62 Legions of Merit, 565 Bronze Stars, 3 Air Medals, and 16 Purple Hearts.
The initial bill called for the WACs to be discontinued 6 months after the President declared the war was at an end, but despite the resistance in the House and the smear campaign, the WACs performed capably and well. According to Dwight D. Eisenhower, "During the time I have had WACs under my command they have met every test and task assigned to them.... Their contributions in efficiency, skill, spirit, and determination are immeasurable." Douglas MacArthur called them "my best soldiers". With the rush to send as many men home as quickly as possible after the cessation of hostilities, WACs were even more in demand.
Supported by Eisenhower, the "Act to Establish a Permanent Nurse Corps of the Army and Navy and to Establish a Women's Medical Specialists Corps in the Army", or the Army-Navy Nurses Act of 1947, passed and became Public Law 8036, granting regular, permanent status to female nurses. Then in early 1946, Chief of Staff Eisenhower ordered legislation drafted to make the WACs a permanent part of the armed forces. The bill was unanimously approved by the Senate but the House Armed Forces Committee amended the bill to restrict women to reserve status, with only Representative Margaret Chase Smith dissenting.
After vehement objection by Eisenhower, who wrote "the women of America must share the responsibility for the security of their country in a future emergency as the women of England did in World War II"; the personal testimony of
On December 3, 1948, the Director of the WACs, Colonel
On November 8, 1967, Congress lifted the restriction on promotions, allowing the first WAC generals, and then, on October 29, 1978, the Women's Army Corps was disestablished and women were integrated into the rest of the Army.
G.I. Bill
In 1944, Edith Rogers helped draft, and then co-sponsored the G. I. Bill, with Representative
In August 2019, as part of the Forever GI Bill, the Edith Nourse Rogers Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Scholarship will be available to veterans pursuing STEM careers. This scholarship will allow recipients to receive up to nine additional months Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.[11]
After World War II
During the
.Death and legacy
Edith Rogers died on September 10, 1960, at Philips House,
She received many honors during her life, including the Distinguished Service Medal of the American Legion in 1950. In honor of her work with veterans, the
The Women's Army Corps Museum (now the
The E.N. Rogers Middle School in Lowell, Massachusetts is named after Edith Rogers. Among its famous graduates is former Congressman, and current chancellor of The University of Massachusetts Lowell, Marty Meehan, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 5, 1993, to July 1, 2007. E.N. Rogers Middle School serves approximately 500 students in grades 5 through 8.
In 1998, Rogers was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.[14]
Governor Deval Patrick signed a Proclamation declaring June 30, 2012, as "Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers Day."[15]
See also
- List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–99)
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
References
- ^ "Ohio Democrat Marcy Kaptur Makes History As Longest-Serving Woman In The House". NPR.org. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 9780160767531. Retrieved October 22, 2018 – via Hathi Trust.
- ^ Casey, Phil (September 11, 1960). "Rep. Edith Rogers, 79, Dies; Served in House 35 Years". The Washington Post. p. B12.
- ^ a b "Rogers, Edith Nourse". History, Art, & Archives: United States House of Representatives. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ a b "Edith Nourse Rogers, 79, Dies; Served in Congress 35 Years". The New York Times. September 11, 1960. p. 82.
- ^ "ROGERS, Edith Nourse - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ Dustin Waters, "The Depression-era gunman who tried to hold Congress hostage: 'I demand the right to the floor for 20 minutes.'" The Washington Post, 1/19/20, retrieved 1/19/20. [1]
- ^ "HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957". GovTrack.us.
- ^ "HR 8601. PASSAGE".
- JSTOR 4634869. Archived from the original(PDF) on October 21, 2013.
- ^ "[USC02] 38 USC 3320: Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship". uscode.house.gov. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "503 Service Unavailable". Archived from the original on May 26, 2005. Retrieved February 19, 2005.
- ^ "History - Army Women's Museum". awm.lee.army.mil. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ National Women's Hall of Fame, Edith Nourse Rogers.
- ^ July 3, John Quealey says; Am, 2012 at 6:53 (July 2, 2012). "Edith Nourse Rogers Day ceremony". RichardHowe.com. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
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Further reading
- Bellafaire, Judith A. "The Women's Army Corps: A commemoration of World War II service." United States Army Center of Military History publication 72-15. (brochure online Archived March 4, 2021, at the Wayback Machine)
- Brown, Dorothy M. (1999). "Edith Nourse Rogers: biographical sketch," eds John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes. American National Biography, volume 18. (paper online)
- Leventhal, Robert S. (2002). "'Believe the unbelievable': The American response to the Nazi genocide of the Jews, 1933–1945". Retrieved February 16, 2005.
- Morden, Bettie J. (1990). The Women's Army Corp, 1945–1978. United States Army Center of Military History publication 30-14. (book online)
- Synnott, Marcia G. "Edith Nourse Rogers." The Devens Historical Museum. Retrieved February 15, 2005.
External links
- United States Congress. "Edith Nourse Rogers (id: R000392)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-02-17
- Rogers, Edith Nourse, 1881-1960. Papers, 1854-1961: A Finding Aid. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
- Edith Nourse Rogers at Find a Grave