Virginia Allan (1916–1999) was an American educator and women's employment advocate.

Biography

Allan was born in Wyandotte, Michigan on October 21, 1916. She received both an AB and MA from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, graduating

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

. After completing her education and working on a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

assembly line, Allan began her career as an educator teaching English in the Dearborn and

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

school systems. She went on to serve as the Chair of President Nixon's Taskforce on Women's Rights and Responsibilities in 1969. In 1972, she was named the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. She was also the Director of the Graduate School of Women's Studies at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

from 1977 to 1983. Upon her retirement in 1993, she moved to

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

, Florida, where she died on August 8, 1999.

References

1916 births 1999 deaths University of Michigan alumni George Washington University faculty {{Feminism-activist-stub