Elizabeth Belle Drewry (1907 – January 5, 2000) was an American

archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to Document, records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist c ...

, recognized for her long career at the National Archives and the

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum holds the records of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States (1933–1945). Located on the grounds of Springwood, the Roosevelt family estate in Hyde Park, New ...

. The first woman to become the head of a Presidential library, she was an expert in American World War I history and published ''Historical Units of the First World War'' (1942). In 1965, she received a Federal Women's Award, presented personally by President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

for her work at the National Archives.

Education

Drewry was a native of Washington, D.C. and a graduate of Holy Cross High School. She went on to attend

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

, where she earned a bachelor's and master's degree, and then

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, where she earned her doctorate. Her thesis dealt with ''Episodes in westward expansion as reflected in the writings of General James Wilkinson, 1784-1806.''

Career

Drewry began her career as the head of the history department at Penn Hall Junior College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. In 1936, she joined the National Archives as a reference supervisor. She spent a quarter of a century with the agency, ending her federal career as chief of the records retirement branch of the Office of Records Management. During the 1950s, she spearheaded an effort to introduce a uniform records retention and disposal system. Drewry was a specialist in World War I history. Her book, ''Historical Units of the First World War'', was published in 1942 by the Government Printing Office. She also served as an adviser to the Thomas A. Edison Foundation. After

Herman Kahn Herman Kahn (February 15, 1922 – July 7, 1983) was a founder of the Hudson Institute and one of the preeminent futurists of the latter part of the twentieth century. He originally came to prominence as a military strategist and systems theori ...

left the Library to take up a post as Special Assistant to the Archivist of the United States, Drewry stepped into the role of Director. She was the first woman to head a Presidential Library, and served there from 1961 to 1969. From 1963 to 1967 she served as a Council Member of the

Society of American Archivists The Society of American Archivists is the oldest and largest archivist association in North America, serving the educational and informational needs of more than 5,000 individual archivist and institutional members. Established in 1936, the organi ...

(SAA). She was one of only fourteen women to hold an elected office in the SAA before 1972, when the committee on the Status of Women in the Archival Profession was formed. Drewry was instrumental in the effort to raise funds to expand the Library to house

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

's papers; construction was completed in 1972. After her retirement from the Library, Drewry spent several years as the director of a girls summer camp in Chambersburg, Camp Robin Hood.

Awards and honors

* Federal Women's Award * Fellow, Society of American Archivists

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drewry, Elizabeth Female archivists 1907 births 2000 deaths Cornell University alumni Fellows of the Society of American Archivists