Catherine Shipe East (May 15, 1916 – August 17, 1996) was a U.S. government researcher and feminist referred to as "the midwife to the women's movement". She was a powerful force behind the founding of the

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

(NOW) and held several influential federal government positions throughout her career.

Early life

Catherine Shipe East was born on May 15, 1916, in Barboursville, West Virginia to Bertha Woody and Ulysses Grant Shipe. She was the oldest of three children. Her mother suffered a nervous breakdown when Catherine was eleven years old, and four years later her father committed suicide. Considering teaching her only option at the time, she entered teaching school at Marshall College, but had to withdraw due to financial difficulties' eleven credit short of getting her bachelor's degree.Notable American women: a biographical dictionary completing the twentieth century, by Susan Ware, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study She married Charles East in 1937, whom she subsequently divorced; they had two daughters. In 1939 took a position with the U.S Civil Service Commission as a clerk. She earned her bachelor's degree in 1943.

Role in Government

Catherine Shipe East began her career as a junior civil service examiner with the U.S Civil Service Commission in 1939. She advanced to become the chief of the career service division before going to work for the

Department of Labor The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...

in 1963. She served as the technical adviser to the President's

Commission on the Status of Women The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW or UNCSW) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the main UN organs within the United Nations. CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting gend ...

and participated in the research and writing of the commission's report, American Women, published in 1963. After the release of this report, President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

created the

Interdepartmental Committee on the Status of Women The Interdepartmental Committee on the Status of Women (ICSW) was established by John F. Kennedy, by Executive Order 11126, dated November 1, 1963 and as amended by Executive Order 11221 of May 8, 1965. It was an interdepartmental committee within t ...

and the Citizen's Advisory Council on the Status of Women, appointing East to serve as executive secretary for both groups.From Suffrage to the Senate: An Encyclopedia of American Women in Politics, Volume 1, By Suzanne O'Dea Schenken

National Organization for Women

Through her position as a government insider, Catherine East served as a foundational conduit of information for feminists across the nation. She believed that women needed a powerful organization similar to the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

. She encouraged

Betty Friedan Betty Friedan ( February 4, 1921 – February 4, 2006) was an American feminist writer and activist. A leading figure in the women's movement in the United States, her 1963 book ''The Feminine Mystique'' is often credited with sparking the se ...

, who referred to her as "the midwife to the women's movement, and other women in her circle to create the

, in order to have an organization that could function outside of the government to create change in government policies. Catherine East was part of NOW's first Legal Committee, along with Mary Eastwood,

Phineas Indritz Phineas Indritz, (August 3, 1916 – October 15, 1997) was an American constitutional lawyer active in the civil rights movement. Personal Indritz was born in Moline, Illinois on August 3, 1916 and graduated from the University of Chicago with a ...

, and Caruthers Berger.

Activism and awards

After retiring from government service in 1977, East became a full-time activist, working to pass the Equal Rights Amendment in Virginia and nationally and serving as women's issues coordinator in the John Anderson Presidential campaign (Nov. 1979 - Nov. 1980) and as legislative director of the National Women's Political Caucus (Oct. 1983 - Dec. 1986). She served on the board of the

's Legal Defense and Education Fund from 1979 to 1983. She took part in a study of how newspapers handled various women's issues and co-authored a report called "New Directions for News." She was an active member of numerous organizations, such as the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,000 ...

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

National Woman's Party The National Woman's Party (NWP) was an American women's political organization formed in 1916 to fight for women's suffrage. After achieving this goal with the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the NW ...

, and

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

. She also received numerous awards, including WEAL's Elizabeth Boyer Award in 1983 for her "outstanding contribution to the advancement of women," and the Veteran Feminists of America Medal of Honor in 1993. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1994. A longtime resident of Arlington, Va., East moved to Ithaca, N.Y., in early 1996 to be near her youngest daughter. She died on August 17, 1996, in Ithaca, New York.

References

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