Molly Dewson
| Mary W. Dewson | |
|---|---|
Mary W. Dewson
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| Born | 1874 Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Died | October 1962 Castine, Maine |
| Occupation | Social Security Board Member |
Mary Williams (Molly) Dewson (1874–1962) was a feminist and political activist. Right after graduating from Wellesley in 1897, she worked for the Women's Educational and Industrial Union. She became an active member of the National Consumers League (NCL) and received mentorship from Florence Kelley, a famous advocate for social justice feminism and General Secretary of the NCL. Dewson’s later role as civic secretary of the Women's City Club of New York (WCCNY) led to her meeting Eleanor Roosevelt, who later convinced Dewson to be more politically active in the Democratic Party. Dewson went on to take over Roosevelt’s role as head of the Women’s Division of the Democratic National Campaign Committee. Dewson’s famous “Reporter Plan” mobilized thousands of women to spread information about the New Deal legislation and garner support for it. In connection with the Reporter Plan, the Women’s Division held regional conferences for women. This movement led to a historically high level of female political participation.
Dewson was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, on February 18, 1874. She was the youngest of six children. Her mother, Elizabeth Weld Williams, and father, Edward Henry Dewson, lived in Roxbury when they had their first child, Francis Williams. After moving to Quincy, they had five more children: George Badger, William Inglee, Edward Henry Jr., Ellen Reed, and Mary Williams.
Dewson’s parents followed typical gender roles of the time in terms of occupation. Her mother took on a domestic role and took care of the household during Dewson’s childhood, while her father, as well as the other men in her family, were active members in the leather business. Dewson, however, did not reflect all the gender expectations of the late 1800s. She was very athletic and played both baseball and tennis. She was not concerned with her appearance, and preferred to play with “boy’s” toys like paper soldiers instead of the traditional dolls made for young girls.
She attended three private schools, including the prestigious Dana Hall School, before entering Wellesley College, from which she graduated as a social worker in 1897. At Wellesley, she was senior class president and her classmates believed she might one day be elected president of the United States.
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