Mary Pillsbury Lord (November 14, 1904 – July 21, 1978) was an American civic worker and officer in several charitable organizations, as well as serving as a U.S. delegate to the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

Early life

Lord was born as Mary Stinson Pillsbury in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Lord's father was Charles Stinson Pillsbury. Lord's mother was Helen Pendleton Winston. Lord had five siblings, including Philip Winston Pillsbury and Katharine Pillsbury. Lord's grandfather was the founder of the

Pillsbury Company The Pillsbury Company is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company that was one of the world's largest producers of cereal, grain and other foodstuffs until it was bought by General Mills in 2001. General Mills brands consist of Annie's, Betty Croc ...

Education

In 1927, Lord graduated cum laude from

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

. In 1953, Lord earned an honorary doctor of law degree from

Career

Lord began her career with family welfare work in Minneapolis from 1927–1929. Lord was a member of Junior League of Minneapolis in Minneapolis. Lord became a volunteer case work for the Charity Organization Society in New York City. Lord became the president of the

Junior League The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (Junior League or JL) is a private, nonprofit educational women's volunteer organization aimed at improving communities and the social, cultural, and political fabric of civil society. With ...

of the City of New York from 1936 to 1938. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

she served as Assistant Regional Director of the Office of Civilian Defense and in 1944 was appointed chairman of the National Civilian Advisory Committee of the Women's Army Corps WAC. In 1948, Lord was the organizer and elected as chairman of the U.S. Commission of

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

. In 1952, Lord was a campaign leader for Eisenhower and she became the co-chairman of the Citizens for Eisenhower organization. In 1953 Lord was appointed by President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

to succeed

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 ...

as the U.S. representative to the

United Nations Human Rights Commission The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a subsidiary body of t ...

. Lord also was a U.S. alternate representative and U.S. delegate to the

. After resigning from the United Nations in 1961 she chaired the New York Governor’s Committee on the Education and Employment of Women; worked with the Citizens for Peace with Freedom in Vietnam Committee; was president of the

International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 19 ...

; and a governor of the Atlantic Institute. Mary, along with her sister, Katherine Pillsbury McKee, was a survivor of the sinking of the Ward Line steam ship '' SS Mohawk'', which occurred on January 24, 1935. The 6000 ton-steam ship collided with a Norwegian freighter off the New Jersey coast. 15 passengers and 32 crew died.

Personal life

On December 7, 1929, in Minneapolis, Lord married Oswald Bates Lord, a businessman in the textile industry. They had three sons. On July 21, 1978 Lord died at from cancer at her home in New York City, New York.

References

External links