Dorothea Dutcher Buck (1887 – 1986) was an American clubwoman. She was a president of the

General Federation of Women's Clubs The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of over 3,000 women's clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Many of its activities ...

(GFWC) from 1947 to 1950.

Biography

Buck née Dutcher was born on July 31, 1887, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She attended

Briarcliff College Briarcliff College was a women's college in Briarcliff Manor, New York. The school was founded as Mrs. Dow's School for Girls in 1903 at the Briarcliff Lodge. After Walter W. Law donated land and a building for the college, it operated at i ...

Milwaukee-Downer College Milwaukee-Downer College was a women's college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in operation from 1895 to 1964. History Milwaukee-Downer College was established in 1895 with the merger of two institutions: Milwaukee College and Downer College of Fox Lak ...

, and the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

. On September 19, 1914, she married J. L. Blair Buck in

Magnolia, Massachusetts Magnolia is a small village in Gloucester, Massachusetts, located on the Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts town line in the southwestern part of the city. Straddling the town line between the two communities is Surf Park, a two-acre swath of ...

with whom she had three children. The couple settled in Hampton, Virginia. Buck was an active

clubwoman The woman's club movement was a social movement that took place throughout the United States that established the idea that women had a moral duty and responsibility to transform public policy. While women's organizations had always been a part ...

. In 1926 she was a charter member of the ''Woman's Club of Hampton''. The Bucks moved to Richmond, Virginia in 1930. There she was a member of the ''Richmond Woman's Club'' and served as the president of the ''Virginia Federation of Women's Clubs'' from 1930 through 1932. By 1933 Buck was involved as the Virginia representative to the ''General Federation of Women's Clubs'' (GFWC). In 1935 she became chairman of the GFWC Budget Committee, then served as treasurer from 1938 through 1941, then second vice president from 1941 through 1944, and first vice president from 1944 through 1947. In 1947 Buck was elected the seventeenth international president of the GFWC. She served until 1950. During her term she advocated for world peace, and specifically the

Atlantic Pact The North Atlantic Treaty, also referred to as the Washington Treaty, is the treaty that forms the legal basis of, and is implemented by, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., on 4 April 1949 ...

, the

Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred over $13 billion (equivalent of about $ in ) in economic re ...

, and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

. As president she visited 48 states as well as China, Cuba, Denmark, Egypt, France, Great Britain, Greece, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Turkey. In later years Buck was active in a variety of organizations including the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

, the

Federal Civil Defense Administration The Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA) was organized by President Harry S. Truman on December 1, 1950, through Executive Order 10186, and became an official government agency via the Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950 on 12 January 19 ...

as the regional director of women's activities, the Virginia League for

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 ...

, and the Virginia

United Nations Association A United Nations Association (UNA) is a non-governmental organization that exist in various countries to enhance the relationship between the people of member states and the United Nations to raise public awareness of the UN and its work, to promot ...

. Dutcher died on May 9, 1983, in

Chester, Connecticut Chester is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,749 at the 2020 census. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). The name is a transfer from Chester, in Engla ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buck, Dorothea Dutcher 1887 births 1983 deaths People from Milwaukee Clubwomen American women activists