Zelia Peet Ruebhausen (1914 – January 24, 1990) was an American civic leader and policy advisor.

Early life

Zelia Krumbhaar Peet was born in

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, the daughter of William Creighton Peet and Meta Brevoort Potts Peet. She was named for her paternal grandmother, Emma Zelia Krumbhaar Peet. She attended

Miss Hall's School Miss Hall's School is an independent boarding and day school for grades 9-12 located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1898 by Mira Hinsdale Hall, a graduate of Smith College, it was one of the first girls' boarding schools established in ...

Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the most populous city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfi ...

before attending

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

, where she graduated in the class of 1937.

Career

Ruebhausen held a wide array of volunteer positions on advisory committees and councils and executive boards. When asked why she did not seek paid employment instead, she explained, "Because as a volunteer there's no limit to what I can do."Helen Laville
''Cold War Women: The International Activities of American Women's Organizations''
(Manchester University Press 2002): 16-17, 82. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

she was the private secretary to an Assistant Secretary of the Navy. She did research for the Spelman Fund, and for the

National Association of Manufacturers The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, D.C., with additional offices across the United States. It is the nation's largest manufacturing industrial trade association, representing 14,000 s ...

."Mrs. Oscar M. Ruebhausen, UN Observer, To Speak Here"
''Kingsport Times-News'' (December 7, 1952): 25. via

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She was the only woman member of the World Trade Advisory Committee of the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business and governmental decision making, establishing industrial standards, catalyzing econ ...

in 1957. She also served on the Advisory Committee on Africa of the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

. She was a consultant to the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...

from 1967 to 1970. She served on the

New York City Charter Revision Commission The New York City Charter is the municipal charter of New York City. As part of the 1898 consolidation of New York City, the New York State Legislature enacted a charter for the consolidated city (Laws of 1897, chapter 378, effective January 1, ...

(1972-1977). She led the Women's Africa Committee and served on the board of trustees of the African-American Institute. She was also active with the

International House of New York International House New York, also known as I-House, is a private, independent, non-profit residence and program center for postgraduate students, research scholars, trainees, and interns, located at 500 Riverside Drive in Morningside Heights, M ...

."Law School Receives Major Gift to Endow Chair, Fellowships, and Student Fund"
''Yale News'' (September 21, 2005). At the

New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR), previously known as The University in Exile and The New School University, is a graduate-level educational division of The New School in New York City, United States. NSSR enrolls more than 1,000 stud ...

she served on the Board of Overseers in the Center for New York City Affairs. Ruebhausen was an official observer at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, appointed in 1946 by the

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 ...

. "If the United States is to exert leadership, it cannot do it by dollars alone," she wrote in a report for the League. "We must also live up to our beliefs in the dignity of man and the rights of all citizens to equal opportunities." She represented the League at least four times to testify before Congress. She was an officer of the Foundation for Citizens Education, and of Women United for the United Nations.

Personal life

In 1942, Zelia K. Peet married lawyer Oscar M. Ruebhausen, who was president of the

New York City Bar Association The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, commonly referred to as the New York City Bar Association (City Bar), founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization has been headquartere ...

and longtime advisor to

Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich "Rocky" Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was the 41st vice president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. He was also the 49th governor of New York, serving from 1959 to 197 ...

.Richard Norton Smith
''On His Own Terms: A Life of Nelson Rockefeller''
(Random House Bertelsmann 2014): 269. She died in 1990, aged 75 years, in

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, from

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...

. There is a Zelia P. Ruebhausen Student Fund at Yale University, named in her memory.

References

External links

*A small collection of Ruebhausen's papers and photographs can be found in th
"Women's Africa Committee Records, 1958-1978"
Women and Social Movements, International (Thomas Dublin and Kathryn Sklar, eds.). {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruebhausen, Zelia Peet American women in politics 1914 births 1990 deaths Vassar College alumni 20th-century American women Members of the League of Women Voters