Dorothy Houston Jacobson (November 13, 1907 – July 13, 1985) was an American

political scientist Political science is the science, scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of politics, political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated c ...

and educator. She was a co-founder and chair of the

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party. As of 2022, it controls four of Minnesota's eight U.S. House seats, both of its U.S. Senate seats, the Minnesota House of Represen ...

, and served as Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...

from 1964 to 1969, during the Johnson administration.

Early life

Houston was born in

Herman, Minnesota Herman is a city in Grant County, Minnesota, Grant County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 437 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History Herman was platted in 1875, and named for Herman Trott, a railroad official. A po ...

. She trained as a teacher at

St. Cloud State Teachers College St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Its enrollment in 2020 was approximatel ...

, and earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

. She wrote her master's thesis on "China and the League of Nations" (1928).

Career

Houston taught school as a young woman, and worked as a curriculum consultant for the Minnesota Department of Education. From 1936 to 1937, she was program secretary for the National

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 ...

. She was a co-director of the Minneapolis League of Women Voters in 1938. She and her husband were among the founders of an early cooperative health plan, Group Health Mutual. She wrote ''Our Interests as Consumers'' (1941), a social studies text. Also in 1941, she taught at the Minneapolis Labor School. She was a political science professor at

Macalester College Macalester College () is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 2,174 students in the fall of 2018 from 50 U.S. states, four U.S te ...

from 1945 to 1955. One of her students at Macalester was politician

Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota ...

. From 1950 to 1954, Jacobson was chair of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, which she also helped to found. In 1955 she became chief assistant to governor

Orville Freeman Orville Lothrop Freeman (May 9, 1918February 20, 2003) was an American Democratic politician who served as the 29th Governor of Minnesota from January 5, 1955, to January 2, 1961, and as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1961 to 1969 unde ...

. She was Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for International Affairs during the Johnson administration, from 1964 to 1969. She made the dress she wore for her swearing-in ceremony, from beige and gold silk. She was the highest ranking woman in the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

, and represented the United States at international meetings involving food and agriculture. She also recommended a strategic reserve of agricultural products, including "food, feeds, and fibers". She spoke on the

demographic transition In demography, demographic transition is a phenomenon and theory which refers to the historical shift from high birth rates and high death rates in societies with minimal technology, education (especially of women) and economic development, to lo ...

to an audience of military specialists in 1966, warning of the risk of "mass famine" and the need for international agricultural development. In the 1970s, Jacobson was executive director of Population Crisis Committee, director of the Freedom from Hunger Foundation, and director of the Greenbelt Cooperative. She retired to

Richfield, Minnesota Richfield is a suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States near the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Minnesota River at Fort Snelling. An inner ring suburb of Minneapolis, it is bordered by Minneapolis to the north, Minn ...

in 1982.

Personal life

Dorothy Houston married George W. Jacobson, a consultant for

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

, in 1937.

Death

Dorothy Houston died in Minneapolis in 1985 at the age of 77.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobson, Dorothy Houston 1907 births 1985 deaths People from Hermantown, Minnesota University of Minnesota alumni St. Cloud State University alumni 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American educators Macalester College faculty American political scientists Minnesota Democrats Women in Minnesota politics 20th-century political scientists