Dorothy Kenyon Papers, 1850-1998 : Scope & Contents of the Collection

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Dorothy Kenyon Papers consist of 29 linear feet of material dating from 1850-1998. The bulk of the papers date from 1888-1972 and focus on Kenyon's personal, professional, and political activities. Types of material include personal records and memorabilia; newspaper clippings; interview transcripts; financial records; family correspondence and memorabilia; personal and professional correspondence; published and unpublished writings; speeches; legal documents; organizational records; research files; photographs; miscellaneous notes, lists, and printed matter; and audiotapes of interviews and speeches.

Major subjects reflected in the collection include the status and role of women in the U.S. and internationally, U.S. and international law, domestic and foreign policy, abortion rights, civil rights, civil liberties, consumer rights, the cooperative movement, Democratic Party politics, Senator Joseph McCarthy, U.S. anti-communism, the War on Poverty in New York City, the Equal Rights Amendment, and the Women's Liberation movement. Organizations represented include the ACLU, NAACP, Americans for Democratic Action, various United Nations and League of Nations Committees, Mobilization for Youth, the Citizens Union of NYC, the American Labor Party, and others. The papers offer insight into the life of a pioneering woman lawyer, judge, and political figure. Kenyon was among the first women to gain admittance to the New York City Bar Association. She was active on local, state, national, and international levels in the fight for human rights, women's rights, and civil rights. In addition to illuminating Kenyon's own work for her causes, the papers document 20th century social reform movements in general. Race relations, urban reform policies, court reform, public housing, community development programs, and political activities from the 1890s to the 1970s are some of the many topics addressed in the papers.