Katharine Fredrica Lenroot (March 8, 1891 – February 10, 1982), an American feminist and child welfare advocate, was the third Chief of the

United States Children's Bureau The United States Children's Bureau is a federal agency founded in 1912, organized under the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families. Today, the bureau's operations involve improving child a ...

Biography

Katharine F. Lenroot was born in

Superior, Wisconsin Superior (; ) is a city in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,751 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the western end of Lake Superior in northwestern Wisconsin, the city l ...

on March 8, 1891, to lawyer and Senator

Irvine Lenroot Irvine Luther Lenroot (January 31, 1869 – January 26, 1949) was an American attorney, jurist, and Republican Party politician from Wisconsin. He served as Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1903 to 1907 and represented the state in ...

and his wife, memoirist Clara Clough. Lenroot grew up in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

while her father served there. She attended Superior State Normal School finishing in 1909. Instead of going straight into college Lenroot joined her father in Washington D.C. Her experience there led her to study economics and sociology in the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

. Lenroot completed her bachelor's degree in 1912 and began work in the civil service as deputy of the Industrial Commission of Wisconsin in 1913. There she was hired to assist

Emma Octavia Lundberg Emma Octavia Lundberg (October 8, 1881 – November 17, 1954) was a Swedish-American child welfare advocate. Biography Lundberg was born in Tranegärdet, Humle Socken, Västergötland, Sweden on October 26, 1881, to Frans Vilhelm Lundberg and An ...

. The two joined the

in 1914. They wrote several works together and worked in conjunction with each other especially with regard to children and illegitimacy. Lenroot remained in the bureau; when

Grace Abbott Grace Abbott (November 17, 1878 – June 19, 1939) was an American social worker who specifically worked in improving the rights of immigrants and advancing child welfare, especially the regulation of child labor. She served as director of the ...

retired in 1934 Lenroot became the third Chief of the Bureau. She remained in the role until 1951. In July 1946 the department moved from the Department of Labor to the Federal Security Agency. Lenroot was president of the Pan-American Child Congress, in 1942, and represented the US on the board of

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

from 1947 to 1951. Lenroot retired in 1951 and was awarded the Federal Security Agency Distinguished Civilian Service Award. During her career she had been awarded the Rosenberg Medal from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1942, the National Institute of Social Sciences Gold Medal in 1947 and the Survey Award in 1950. She also received honorary doctorates from University of Wisconsin,

Russell Sage College Russell Sage College (often Russell Sage or RSC) is a co-educational college with two campuses located in Albany and Troy, New York, approximately north of New York City in the Capital District. Russell Sage College offers both undergraduat ...

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

, and

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

. Lenroot moved to

Hartsdale, New York Hartsdale is a hamlet located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 5,293 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of New York City. History Hartsdale, a CDP/hamlet/post-office in the town of Gre ...

on retirement and lived with Emma Lundberg, until 1954 when Lundberg died. She moved to

Princeton, New Jersey The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...

in 1960 and worked with the New Jersey State Board of Child Welfare as well as working with the

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

's School of Social Work. She was a consultant for UNICEF from 1962 to 1963. She died in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

on February 10, 1982.

Bibliography

*''Child Welfare Problem'' (1920, 1922) *''Juvenile Courts at Work'' (1925)

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenroot, Katherine F. 1891 births 1982 deaths People from Superior, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni