Jean Ledwith King (March 16, 1924 – October 9, 2021) was an American attorney, teacher, political activist, and women's rights activist. She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1989.

Biography

King was born in March 1924. She graduated from the University of Michigan, earning both a bachelor's degree in English and a master’s in history. In 1965, King went to University of Michigan Law School, and gained her law degree in 1968. She, along with Lorraine Beebe chaired the Michigan abortion referendum campaign of 1972. The campaign failed, and King founded the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights with Eleanor O'Brien. She had, in 1970 organized the Focus on Equal Employment for Women, which sparked an investigation by the United States Department of Health and Human Services into sex discrimination by University of Michigan, the first of its kind. Six women, of whom Jean King was one, founded the first women's caucus in a major party, the Women's Caucus of the

Michigan Democratic Party The Michigan Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Michigan. It is based in Lansing. Lavora Barnes is the party's current chair. She was previously the party's Chief Operating Officer. The party currently con ...

. That caucus would, in 1976 achieve the first delegation evenly split between men and women. In 1974, King filed a complaint against sex discrimination in textbooks in

Kalamazoo Public Schools Kalamazoo Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Graduates of the district are eligible to receive scholarships through the Kalamazoo Promise, a program launched in 2005 and funded by anonymous donors. The distri ...

. As a result, the publisher,

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (; HMH) is an American publisher of textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults. The company is based in the Financial Dist ...

immediately issued a correction. In 2008, King was honored by

Veteran Feminists of America Veteran Feminists of America (VFA) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization for supporters and veterans of the second-wave feminist movement. Founded by Jacqueline Ceballos in 1992, Veteran Feminists of America regularly hosts reunions for secon ...

for her work. The Women’s Center of Southeastern Michigan was named after King. King died on October 9, 2021, at the age of 97.Jean Ledwith King obituary
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Jean Ledwith 1924 births 2021 deaths American feminists University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni University of Michigan Law School alumni