Divorcees Anonymous
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Divorcees Anonymous was an organization in the United States which received notable press attention in the 1950s. The group's goal was to prevent divorce, primarily by teaching women to win back or change their husbands, reflecting the societal views of the time.


History

The group was founded in 1949 by Samuel Starr, a
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
divorce attorney who believed almost all divorced couples regretted that decision. The name, without a doubt, derived from organizations as
Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...
. According to Starr, the group started when he was loath to take on a new divorce case for a prospective client couple, believing them to be focused only on "some little peeves." His next client that day was a regretful divorcee, who either at her own suggestion or Starr's, successfully counseled the couple to remain together. Starr then recruited other divorced female clients to do the same work, and the group grew from five members to 100 within a month.Celello, Kristin. ''Making Marriage Work: A History of Marriage and Divorce in the Twentieth-Century United States'', pp. 85-86, 122, 185 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009) (as to spelling, Celello notes on p. 185 n. 58 that the organization did not use acute accent over the first "e" of its name)(30 September 1955)
Divorcee Group Is Big Help In Patching Marriages
''Medina Daily Journal-Register'' (United Press content)
(6 September 1949)
'Divorcees Anonymous' Sit as 'Jury'
''Sullivan Daily Times'' (photograph of masked women sitting in jury box, who "listens to story of divorce applicant to help find right thing to do.")
DiFonzo, J. Herbie
Beneath the Fault Line: The Popular and Legal Culture of Divorce in Twentieth-Century America
p. 229 n. 88 (1997) ("For a brief time in the 1950s, Divorcees Anonymous garnered considerable media attention.")
Chesnut, Glenn F
Father Ed Dowling: Bill Wilson’S Sponsor
p. 49 (2015)
(21 September 1949)
Women Organize to Slow U.S. Divorce Rate
''Greenwich Journal'' (Greenwich, New York)
The organization was profiled in the February 1950 issues of ''
Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American lifestyle media brand that covers a wide range of topics from home decor and renovation, health, beauty and food, to entertainment, pets and gifts. The Good Housekeeping Institute which opened its "Experiment ...
''Prowitt, Alfred (February 1950)
Divorcees Anonymous
''
Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American lifestyle media brand that covers a wide range of topics from home decor and renovation, health, beauty and food, to entertainment, pets and gifts. The Good Housekeeping Institute which opened its "Experiment ...
''
and ''
Redbook ''Redbook'' is an American women's magazine that is published by the Hearst Communications, Hearst magazine division. It is one of the "Seven Sisters (magazines), Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines. It ceased print publicatio ...
'', the latter of which was condensed and reprinted in ''
Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
'' in May 1950.(1 June 1950)
Prevention of Divorce - An American Organization - Encouraging Success
''Geraldton Guardian''
(26 May 1950)
Divorcees Teach Others To Avoid Their Mistakes
''The Enterprise'' (Altamont, New York)
(12 May 1950)
Divorced Persons Unite To Keep Marriage Alive
''Democrat and Chronicle'' (Rochester, New York) (Associated Press story)
By 1956, the group had claimed to have "saved" 3,000 marriages. Starr moved into a smaller office in 1959, claiming his divorce business had dropped by 75 percent.(27 April 1959)
He saves marriages, loses income
''Columbus Daily Telegram'' (UPI story)
In 1961, it was reported that "DA" had 30 chapters across the United States. Jacobson, Walter C.br>Many Marriages Saved by 'DA'--Divorcees Anonymous
''Medina Daily Journal-Register'' (UPI content)


In popular culture

A 1957 episode of ''
Armstrong Circle Theatre ''Armstrong Circle Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series which ran from June 6, 1950, to June 25, 1957, on NBC, and from October 2, 1957, to August 28, 1963, on CBS. It alternated weekly with '' The United States Steel Ho ...
'', also titled "Divorcees Anonymous," featured two women (played by
Bibi Osterwald Margaret Virginia "Bibi" Osterwald (February 3, 1920 – January 2, 2002) was an American actress. Life and career Osterwald was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the daughter of Dagmar (Kvastad) and Rudolf August Osterwald, a hotel owne ...
and
June Dayton June Dayton (born Mary June Wetzel; August 24, 1923 – June 13, 1994) was an American television actress who appeared in a variety of shows from the 1950s into the 1980s. Early life Dayton was born in Dayton, Ohio. She used her hometown of Da ...
) who try to persuade a third woman not to divorce.
Frank Overton Frank Emmons Overton (March 12, 1918April 24, 1967) was an American actor. He was best known for the roles of Major Harvey Stovall in '' 12 O'Clock High'' (1964-1967), Sheriff Heck Tate in ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' (1962), and General Bogan in '' ...
played Sam Starr.McMahon, Mike (8 January 1957)
Entertainment Highlights
''Plattsburgh Press-Republican''


Legacy

Divorcees Anonymous dropped from press reports during the 1960s,(4 December 1960)
Divorcees Anonymous
''San Francisco Examiner'' (paywall) (a very positive piece on the organization from December 1960, highlighted by story of a couple which divorced, the husband married his secretary, then divorced her and remarried his first wife)
Alvarez, Walter C. (29 June 1964)
Doctor Alvarez
''Tucson Citizen'' (syndicated column by Walter C. Alvarez stated Starr was considering making the group his full time work; but writer also reflecting changing views: "In many cases, the advisers are correct in urging someone to give up the idea of divorce. In other cases, the advisers will agree that divorce is advisable, even when children are involved.")
and has received little attention since that time. Historian Kristin Celello's 2009 book ''Making Marriage Work: A History of Marriage and Divorce in the Twentieth-Century United States'' provides a brief history of DA. Cellelo notes that
marriage counseling Couples therapy (also known as couples' counseling, marriage counseling, or marriage therapy) is a form of psychotherapy that seeks to improve intimate relationships, resolve interpersonal conflicts and repair broken bonds of love. History Marri ...
views which developed in the 1960s and 1970s, including that some marriages are better off ended, reflected a great change from the goals of Divorcees Anonymous.


References

{{reflist, 2


External links


Divorcees Anonymous
''
Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American lifestyle media brand that covers a wide range of topics from home decor and renovation, health, beauty and food, to entertainment, pets and gifts. The Good Housekeeping Institute which opened its "Experiment ...
'' (February 1950)
Images, Members of Divorcees Anonymous, 1958
(6 photos) Organizations established in 1949 Non-profit organizations based in Chicago