Dorothy Houston Jacobson (November 13, 1907 – July 13, 1985) was an American

political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and educator. She was a co-founder and chair of the

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is a political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota affiliated with the national Democratic Party. The party was formed by a merger between the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Minneso ...

, and served as Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

from 1964 to 1969, during the Johnson administration.

Early life

Houston was born in

Herman, Minnesota Herman is a city in Grant County, Minnesota, Grant County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 437 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It lends it name to Herman Beach which is the former shoreline of the prehistoric glacial ...

. She trained as a teacher at

St. Cloud State Teachers College St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. In the fall of 2023, it e ...

, and earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. She wrote her master's thesis on "China and the League of Nations" (1928).

Career

Houston taught school as a young woman, and worked as a curriculum consultant for the Minnesota Department of Education. From 1936 to 1937, she was program secretary for the National

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...

. She was a co-director of the Minneapolis League of Women Voters in 1938. She and her husband were among the founders of an early cooperative health plan, Group Health Mutual. She wrote ''Our Interests as Consumers'' (1941), a social studies text. Also in 1941, she taught at the Minneapolis Labor School. She was a political science professor at

Macalester College Macalester College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate institution with an enrollment of 2,142 students in the fall of 2023. The college ha ...

from 1945 to 1955. One of her students at Macalester was politician

Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928April 19, 2021) was the 42nd vice president of the United States serving from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. He previously served as a U.S. senator from Minnesota from 1964 to 1976. ...

. From 1950 to 1954, Jacobson was chair of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, which she also helped to found. In 1955 she became chief assistant to governor

Orville Freeman Orville Lothrop Freeman (May 9, 1918February 20, 2003) was an American politician who served as the 29th governor of Minnesota from 1955 to 1961, and as the U.S. secretary of agriculture from 1961 to 1969 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and L ...

. She was Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for International Affairs during the Johnson administration, from 1964 to 1969. She made the dress she wore for her swearing-in ceremony, from beige and gold silk. She was the highest ranking woman in the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...

, and represented the United States at international meetings involving food and agriculture. She also recommended a strategic reserve of agricultural products, including "food, feeds, and fibers". She spoke on the

demographic transition In demography, demographic transition is a phenomenon and theory in the Social science, social sciences referring to the historical shift from high birth rates and high Mortality rate, death rates to low birth rates and low death rates as societi ...

to an audience of military specialists in 1966, warning of the risk of "mass famine" and the need for international agricultural development. In the 1970s, Jacobson was executive director of Population Crisis Committee, director of the Freedom from Hunger Foundation, and director of the Greenbelt Cooperative. She retired to

Richfield, Minnesota Richfield is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota. An inner-ring suburb of Minneapolis, Richfield is bordered by Minneapolis to the north, Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and Fort Snelling to the east, Bloomington to the south, ...

in 1982.

Personal life

Dorothy Houston married George W. Jacobson, a consultant for

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

, in 1937.

Death

Dorothy Houston died in Minneapolis in 1985 at the age of 77.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobson, Dorothy Houston 1907 births 1985 deaths People from Hermantown, Minnesota University of Minnesota alumni St. Cloud State University alumni 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American educators Macalester College faculty Minnesota Democrats Women in Minnesota politics 20th-century American political scientists