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Phyllis Schlafly Brief Bio

Phyllis Schlafly was a conservative feminist born on August 15, 1924 in St.Louis. A graduate from the Academy of the Sacred Heart, Schlafly pursued her college education at Washington University where she received a J.D. She also attended Harvard University's graduate school (Radcliffe College at the time), where she received a masters in Political Science. Phyllis Schlafly is most popularly known for her fight against the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), her influence in the pro-family movement that originated in the 1970s, and her self-published book, A Choice Not an Echo (1964). Overall, Schlafly's ideas were rooted in traditional values, and through her publishing of The Phyllis Schlafly Report in 1967, she was able to communicate her views to the rest of the nation.

"A Choice Not an Echo" (1964)

In 1964, Phyllis Schlafly self-published one of her most famous books, A Choice Not an Echo. This book was the first of Schlafly's 19 authored texts, and sold 3 million copies, granting her national attention as a conservative activist. Schlafly mainly published this book in support of Senator Barry Goldwater, who she hoped would be nominated by the Republican Party, and also to break the control of the "Eastern Establishment" over the republican party. The Eastern Establishment represents the group of universities and institutions that hold significant power and voice in the United States that is often believed to be too much for its size.

Lead

In 1964, Phyllis Schlafly self-published one of her most famous books, A Choice Not an Echo. This book was the first of Schlafly's 19 authored texts, and sold 3 million copies, granting her national attention as a conservative activist. Schlafly mainly published this book in support of Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, hoping to help him triumph in the California Primary, thus granting him the ability to be nominated for president. Schlafly’s secondary motivation behind the publishing of A Choice Not an Echo was to break control of the "Eastern Establishment" over the republican party. In other words, this book served as an exposition of the covert influence that “kingmakers” had on Republican primary nominations.

Phyllis Schlafly Brief Bio

Phyllis Schlafly

Schlafly demonstrating against the Equal Rights Amendment

Phyllis Schlafly was born on August 15, 1924 in St. Louis, Missouri. She grew up there, graduating as the valedictorian of her high school class at the Academy of the Sacred Heart. She married in 1949, and spent her days living in both Illinois and Missouri. She attended Washington University as a law student, and graduated from Harvard with a master’s in political science. In 2008, Washington University awarded her honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. She was the mother of 6 children, and was elected Illinois Mother of the Year in 1992; all six of her children were taught how to read before they began attending school. Her husband was John Fred Schlafly, an attorney in Illinois. Schlafly was a successful attorney, passing the bar in Illinois, Missouri, the District of Columbia, and even argued before the US Supreme Court. In addition, she served as a member of Commission on Bicentennial of US Constitution from 1985-1991, appointed by President Reagan. Schlafly also testified before more than 50 Congressional and State legislative committees on constitutional, national defense, and family issues. Schlafly is most well-know for her work in political activism. She was three times elected President of the Illinois Federation of Republican Women, 1960-64, and was elected First Vice President, National Federation of Republican Women (1964-1967). She was a candidate for Congress from Illinois in 1952 and in 1970, in two different districts. In addition, she was a prolific writer: she is the author of 27 books; a monthly newspaper called The Phyllis Schlafly Report, which ran for fifty years; she was also a columnist, appearing in 100 newspapers. She also was the leader of the pro family movement that began in 1972, campaigning against the ERA and radical feminists. She has been named one of the 100 most important women of the 20th century by Ladies’ Home Journal.

Historical Context

Phyllis’s book gives in-depth accounts of Kingmakers’ influence on republican nominations and national elections starting in the 1940s, and continuing all the way into the presidential race of 1964 in which Barry Goldwater was involved. As a republican party insider and political activist, Phyllis is able to give first hand accounts of kingmakers silencing grassroots, “true” republicans who threatened the party establishment. She begins with the 1940 election, in which the Republican establishment worked against Robert Taft, because his father, president William Howard Taft, played a major role in opposing the Federal Reserve. Taft lost the nomination to Wendell Willkie, a former democrat and socialist who Schlafly did not see as a “true republican”. In the 1952 primaries, Taft was on the rise again, and leading Eisenhower. Schlafly details how republican kingmakers again intervened, orchestrating rump meetings in key states and ultimately convincing democratic representatives to nominate Goldwater delegates. The republican establishment called on democratic nominators to hand the election to Eisenhower, allowing him to narrowly defeat Taft again. Taft attributed his defeat to “New York financial interests”. Similar interference in republican presidential nomination processes continued throughout the next decades, and are detailed by Schlafly. Her calls to voters to remain staunchly supportive of real, disruptive, anti-establishment republican candidates was a key factor in the success of Barry Goldwater in the 1964 primaries.

Barry Goldwater, who was assisted in his presidential run by A Choice Not an Echo

Effect On Politics

Helped Barry Goldwater win 1964 primary Anti-establishment Stopped the ERA Rallied an independent, anti-establishment conservative movement Exposed corruption and unseen kingmaker influence Disrupted the power of elite party establishment More power to voters Female icon of the conservative party At a time when few feminists were repub/conservative Pushed republican party to the right on family issues such as abortion and birth control

Citations

A Choice Not an Echo (actual book)