Gertrude Cohen papers

Collection

Identifier: IWA0358

Staff Only

The Gertrude Cohen papers date from 1964 to 1991 and measure 1 linear inch. The papers consist almost exclusively of material documenting Cohen's term in the Iowa General Assembly. The correspondence is mostly congratulatory. However, there are some letters from constituents. Two photographs, one of former Governor of Iowa Harold Hughes with Cohen and the other of Cohen's husband, Ben Cohen, are also included.

Dates

1964-1991

Creator

Cohen, Gertrude, 1913- (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Extent

1.00 linear inch

Artifacts and photographs in Box 1 other_unmapped

Additional Description

Abstract

Member of the Iowa House of Representatives, 1965-1966, and the first Jewish woman elected to the Iowa Legislature.

Biographical / Historical

Gertrude Siegel was born on November 1, 1913 in Chicago, Illinois. Siegel graduated from North High School in Minneapolis, and continued her education at the University of Minnesota where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology in 1934. In 1936, Siegel married New Yorker Ben Cohen; the couple moved to Waterloo, Iowa in 1941. The Cohens had two children, a son Loren, and a daughter Devra (later Devra Marcus). In 1965 Gertrude Cohen became the first Jewish woman elected to the Iowa Legislature. Cohen served a term (1965-1966) in the Iowa House of Representatives as a Democrat from Black Hawk county. Cohen served on the House Committees of Education, Industrial and Human Relations, and Public Health. Cohen has also been active in a variety of civic, political, and religious organizations.

Method of Acquisition

The papers (donor no. 501) were donated by Gertrude Cohen in 1998.

Related Materials

A Political Dialogue: Iowa's Women Legislators oral histories (IWA): This collection contains the transcript of an oral history interview with Cohen conducted by Suzanne Schenken in 1991.