Marion Dickerman (April 11, 1890 – May 16, 1983) was an American

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...

, educator, vice-principal of the Todhunter School, and a close friend of

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

Birth and early life

Born in

Westfield, New York Westfield is a town in the western part of Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 4,513 at the 2020 census. Westfield is also the name of a village within the town, containing 65% of the town's population. This unique ...

, she studied for two years at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

before transferring to

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

where she became involved in

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

. She graduated with a bachelor of arts in 1911 and a graduate degree in education in 1912.

Career

She taught first at Canisteo, New York, and in 1913, moved to Fulton, New York, where she taught

American history The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...

at Fulton High School. It was here that she became close friends with Nancy Cook, who taught arts and handicrafts at the same school. These two women become lifelong partners, spending almost their entire adult lives together, sharing a life dedicated to politics, education, and progressive reform. Dickerman was head of the Fulton High history department for four years before she left the school in 1918. Despite having anti-war sentiments, during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, she and Cook both became active in the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

. As Dickerman later recounted, she "really believed this was a war to end wars and make the world safe for

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

." In Spring of 1918, they both traveled to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

where they worked at the Endell Street Military Hospital. Upon return to the United States, Dickerman found that she had been nominated to oppose Thaddeus C. Sweet, an

anti-suffragist Anti-suffragism was a political movement composed of both men and women that began in the late 19th century in order to campaign against women's suffrage in countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. To ...

politician for a seat in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

. Dickerman ran, taking votes away from Sweet, who was then unable to secure the Republican nomination for governor. Between 1919 and 1920, she was the Executive Secretary of the Women's Joint Legislative Conference. From 1920 to 1921, she worked as dean at the

Trenton State College The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, ...

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

. Unhappy there, she one year later joined the faculty of the Todhunter School. In 1922, she and Cook met

. The three women shared similar values and quickly became good friends. Franklin Roosevelt offered the three women a lifetime lease on some property near Vall-Kill Creek to build a cottage. A small handicraft workshop was also built, which became known as Vall-Kill Industries. In 1927, Dickerman, Roosevelt, and Cook purchased the Todhunter School, with Dickerman becoming principal. She worked there until as the principal until 1937, and later, stayed on in "an administrative capacity until 1942." By 1936, Val-Kill Industries was disbanded. Dickerman was appointed to a 1938 Presidential Commission to study industrial relations in both

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. Later in 1942, she was appointed to the

National Labor Relations Board The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States that enforces United States labor law, U.S. labor law in relation to collect ...

, where she served until 1945. Dickerman and Cook continued to live in Stone Cottage until after

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

's death in 1945. Dickerman and Cook sold all interest in the Val-Kill property to Eleanor in 1947 when they moved to New Canaan,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, where Dickerman became the educational programming director for the Marine Historical Association, which later became Mystic Seaport, the Museum of America and the Sea. She served as the museum's Director of Education, a post she held from 1946 until 1962. When Val-Kill was being restored, Dickerman provided the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

more than 170 pieces of furniture and other household items from her time living in the cottage. Dickerman died in 1983 at the age of 93 at the Crossroads retirement home in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and is buried next to Nancy Cook at Westfield Cemetery,

References

Sources

* Cook, Blanche Wiesen. ''Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume One, 1884-1933''. New York: Viking Press, 1993 * Cook, Blanche Wiesen. ''Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume Two, 1933-1938''. New York: Viking Press, 1999 *Davis, Kenneth. ''Invincible Summer: An Intimate Portrait of the Roosevelts Based on the Recollections of Marion Dickerman''. New York: Atheneum Press, 1974

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickerman, Marion 1890 births 1983 deaths American educational theorists 20th-century American educators American women's rights activists People from Westfield, New York People from Fulton, Oswego County, New York People from Hyde Park, New York Activists from New York (state)