Summary Information
Jean Witter Papers
AIS.2008.06
Witter, Jean
Bulk, 1965-1984
1953-2007
13.0 linear feet (10 records center boxes, 1 photograph box)
Language: English
Abstract: This collection documents the activism of Jean Witter, a Pittsburgh lawyer, who was heavily involved with the National Organization for Women (NOW) and an advocate for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. This collection contains correspondence, meeting minutes, promotional material, personal notes and writings, and ephemera related to the women's rights movement.
ULS Archives Service Center
University of Pittsburgh Library System
7500 Thomas Boulevard
Pittsburgh, PA, 15260
412-648-3232
archives-ref@mail.pitt.edu
February 3, 2010
Finding aid prepared by Ashley Taylor
Biography
Jean Witter was born Jean Peindl on July 23, 1927, and was raised in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. She earned a degree in crystallography from Duquesne University during World War II, which was rather rare for the time period. She worked as a chemical librarian until she was able to get a research position at the University of Pittsburgh. She married DuWayne Witter and had two sons.
During the 1960s, Witter became interested in the women's rights movement, and became one of the first presidents of the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). She was interested primarily in the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), and was appointed Chairperson for NOW's ERA Committee. In order to strengthen her arguments and credibility, Witter attended law school at Duquesne in the early 1970s. After passing the bar exam, Witter threw herself into promoting the ratification of the ERA. One of her most significant contributions to the campaign was a legal opinion she authored that prompted Congress to extend the deadline for ratification by three years. After the ERA failed to pass, Witter still remained active as a lawyer, mostly by advocating women's issues, particularly in regards to sexual discrimination and equal employment rights.
Witter passed away in 2008, at the age of 80.
Collection Scope and Content Notes
The Jean Witter Papers include correspondence, legislative material relating to the Equal Rights Amendment, meeting minutes and organizational information on the National Organization for Women (specifically the Pittsburgh chapter), promotional material for both the ERA and NOW, personal records, a sampling of articles and notes on general women's issues, Witter's personal writings (both notes and essays), and ephemeral material relating to the women's rights movement. The primary focus of the collection is on Witter's involvement in NOW and the foundations of the Pittsburgh chapter, and her work on the passage of the ERA. The collection also contains several audio cassettes, which include speeches and interviews given by Witter, as well as material relating to the overall movement for equality for women.
Subject Terms
- Equal rights amendments -- United States
- Feminism -- United States
- Feminists -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Women -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- United States
- Women's rights -- United States
- Women's studies -- United States
- National Organization for Women. Pennsylvania Chapter.
- National Organization for Women. Pittsburgh Chapter.
- National Organization for Women.
- Evansgardner, JoAnn
- Heide, Wilma Scott, 1921-1985
- Judd Hill, Cindy
- Schlafly, Phyllis
- Witter, Jean
- Personal papers
- Social action
- Women
Access and Use
No restrictions.
Gift of Raymond and David Witter on August 5, 2008.
Jean Witter Papers, 1953-2007, AIS.2008.06, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
This collection was processed by Ashley Taylor in January 2010. The material in the collection was weeded heavily, as a large portion of the material originally received by the ASC had little or no relevance to the collection. Material that was removed included a large amount of duplicate material, personal memorabilia, previously published resources such as magazines and congressional proceedings, information on general legal matters not relating to women's liberation, the Equal Rights Amendment, or Jean Witter, information on legal cases arbitrated by Jean Witter that contained personal information on clients and was not applicable to women's issues, a large amount of personal tax forms, and a substantial amount of unrelated mailings.
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Collection Inventory
Series I. Correspondence, 1953-2003
|
Scope and Content Notes: Series I consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence for the years 1953 through 2003. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by subject/correspondent, and chronologically within each subject.
|
Box 1
| Folder |
1 |
Heide, Wilma Scott, 1968-1975
|
|
| Folder |
2 |
Heide, Wilma Scott, 1976, undated
|
|
| Folder |
3 |
Kestner-Lang, Carol Anne, 1976-1978
|
|
| Folder |
4 |
Kestner-Lang, Carol Anne, 1979-1985
|
|
| Folder |
5 |
Kestner-Lang, Carol Anne, 1986-1999
|
|
| Folder |
6 |
General, 1953-1997, undated
|
|
| Folder |
7 |
Women's Issues, 1968-2003, undated
|
|
Series II. Equal Rights Amendment, 1966-2007
|
Scope and Content Notes: Series II consists of materials relating to the attempts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a cause which Witter was heavily involved in. This series includes promotional material, legislative material, memos, newsletters, correspondence, notes, and reports. The series is arranged alphabetically by subject.
|
| Folder |
8 |
Ad-Hoc Committee, 1970-1972
|
|
| Folder |
9 |
Alabama, 1975-1977
|
|
| Folder |
10 |
Anti-ERA 1976-1979, undated
|
|
| Folder |
11 |
Arkansas 1974-1978
|
|
| Folder |
12 |
"The Best Kept Secret," 1969-1974
|
|
| Folder |
13 |
Blatt, Genevieve, 1968-1969, undated
|
|
| Folder |
15 |
Business and Professional Women's Club, 1968-1973
|
|
| Folder |
16 |
California, 1968-1969
|
|
| Folder |
18 |
Cartoons, 1970-1977
|
|
| Folder |
19 |
Civil Rights, 1968-1970
|
|
| Folder |
20 |
Conformance Project, 1973-1975
|
|
| Folder |
21 |
Congressional Material, 1969-1971
|
|
| Folder |
22 |
Congressional Material, 1970-1971
|
|
| Folder |
23 |
Constitutionality, 1970
|
|
| Folder |
24 |
Correspondence, undated
|
|
| Folder |
25 |
ERA Summit, 1996-2002
|
|
| Folder |
26 |
ERA Workshop, 1978
|
|
| Folder |
27 |
Essays, 1968-1970
|
|
| Folder |
28 |
Fact Booklet, undated
|
|
| Folder |
29 |
Felton, Walter, 1994
|
|
| Folder |
31 |
Human Rights, 1969
|
|
| Folder |
32 |
Idaho, 1975-1977
|
|
| Folders |
34-35 |
Indiana, 1976-1978
|
|
| Folder |
36 |
Kennedy Correspondence, 1970
|
|
| Folder |
37 |
Ladies Home Journal, 1970
|
|
Box 2
| Folder |
1 |
Legal Opinions, 1975, undated
|
|
| Folder |
2 |
Legislator Correspondence, 1968-2000
|
|
| Folder |
3 |
Letters Seeking Support, 1969-1970
|
|
| Folder |
4 |
Mississippi, 1976-1977
|
|
| Folder |
5 |
National Women's Conference, 1977
|
|
| Folders |
6-7 |
NOW ERA Committee, 1969-1971
|
|
| Folder |
8 |
NOW ERA Convention, 1968-1969
|
|
| Folder |
9 |
NOW Legislative Program, 1969
|
|
| Folder |
11 |
News Clippings, 1968-2007, undated
|
|
| Folder |
12 |
Newsletters, 1967-1978
|
|
| Folder |
13 |
Newsletters, 1992-1997, undated
|
|
| Folder |
14 |
North Carolina, 1975-1977, undated
|
|
| Folder |
15 |
Notes, 1993-1994, undated
|
|
| Folder |
16 |
Opinions, 1966-1980
|
|
| Folder |
17 |
Pennsylvania ERA, 1969-1974
|
|
| Folder |
18 |
Pennsylvania ERA, 1976-1980, undated
|
|
| Folder |
19 |
Pennsylvania ERA Ad-Hoc Committee, 1970-1972
|
|
| Folders |
20-21 |
Pennsylvania ERA Cases, 1971-1975
|
|
| Folder |
22 |
Pennsylvania ERA Effects, 1973
|
|
| Folder |
23 |
Pennsylvania Women's Meeting, 1977
|
|
| Folder |
24 |
Precedents, 1970
|
|
| Folder |
25 |
Pro-ERA Organizations, undated
|
|
| Folder |
26 |
Projects, 1968-1969
|
|
| Folders |
27-28 |
Promotional Material, 1968-1996
|
|
Box 3
| Folders |
1-2 |
Promotional Material, 1968-1996
|
|
| Folder |
3 |
Publications, 1977, undated
|
|
| Folder |
4 |
Ratification Attempts, 1971
|
|
| Folder |
5 |
Ratification Attempts, 1972
|
|
| Folder |
6 |
Ratification Attempts, 1972-1973
|
|
| Folder |
8 |
Scott, Hugh, 1970
|
|
| Folder |
9 |
Scrapbook Material, 1967-1970
|
|
| Folder |
10 |
Senate Hearings Material, 1967-1970
|
|
| Folders |
11-12 |
Senate Hearings Material, 1970
|
|
| Folder |
13 |
Senate Hearings Material, 1970-1973
|
|
| Folder |
14 |
Senate Resolution 61, 1968-1969
|
|
| Folder |
15 |
Seven Year Provision, 1970-1977
|
|
| Folder |
16 |
Seven Year Provision, 1977-1978
|
|
| Folder |
17 |
South Carolina, 1977-1978
|
|
| Folder |
18 |
South Carolina, 1977-1981
|
|
| Folder |
19 |
Sponsorship Letters, 1969
|
|
| Folder |
20 |
States' Rights, undated
|
|
| Folder |
21 |
Strategies, 1969-1979
|
|
| Folder |
22 |
Supporting Organizations, 1972
|
|
| Folder |
23 |
Television/Radio Campaign, 1968-1970
|
|
| Folder |
24 |
Tennessee, 1975
|
|
| Folder |
25 |
Testimony, 1970-1972
|
|
Box 4
| Folder |
1 |
Testimony Against the ERA, 1970
|
|
| Folder |
2 |
Tibbs, Marjorie, 1969
|
|
| Folder |
4 |
Virginia, 1973-1993
|
|
| Folder |
5 |
Virginia, 1993-1994
|
|
| Folder |
6 |
Virginia Military Institute, 1996
|
|
| Folder |
8 |
Woman Activist, 1998-2002
|
|
| Folder |
9 |
27th Amendment, 1993-1994
|
|
| Folder |
10 |
103rd Congress, 1992-1995
|
|
Series III. National Organization of Women, 1966-1998
|
Scope and Content Notes: Series III consists of material relating to the National Organization for Women (NOW), to which Witter belonged. This series contains newsletters, meeting minutes, conference information, promotional material, memos, and news clippings. The series is divided into three subseries. Subseries 1 is Board of Trustees, Subseries 2 is National, and Subseries 3 is Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh Chapters. These three subseries are each arranged alphabetically by subject.
|
Subseries 1. Board of Trustees, 1969-1971
| Folder |
11 |
Atlanta Meeting, 1971
|
|
| Folder |
12 |
Chicago Meeting, 1970
|
|
| Folder |
13 |
Denver Meeting, 1971
|
|
| Folder |
14 |
Houston Meeting, 1971
|
|
| Folder |
15 |
Milwaukee Meeting, 1971
|
|
| Folder |
16 |
New Orleans Meeting, 1969
|
|
| Folder |
18 |
Pittsburgh Meeting, 1970
|
|
| Folder |
19 |
San Francisco Meeting, 1969
|
|
| Folder |
20 |
Syracuse Meeting, 1970
|
|
| Folder |
21 |
Washington, DC Meeting, 1969
|
|
Subseries 2. National, 1966-1990
| Folder |
22 |
Activity, 1966-1969
|
|
| Folder |
23 |
Activity, 1970-1971
|
|
| Folder |
25 |
Activity, 1973-1975
|
|
| Folder |
26 |
Activity, 1976-1977
|
|
| Folder |
27 |
ACTS, 1969-1971
|
|
| Folder |
28 |
Bell Telephone, 1971
|
|
| Folder |
29 |
By-Laws, 1969-1971
|
|
| Folder |
30 |
Chapters, 1966-1969
|
|
| Folder |
31 |
Colgate-Palmolive, 1968
|
|
Box 5
| Folder |
1 |
Committee on Administrative Procedures, 1970
|
|
| Folder |
2 |
Conferences, 1975
|
|
| Folder |
3 |
Detroit Conference, 1977
|
|
| Folder |
4 |
Do It Now, 1973-1976
|
|
| Folder |
5 |
Eastern Regional Conference, 1972
|
|
| Folder |
6 |
Equal Employment Opportunity, 1969
|
|
| Folder |
7 |
Federal Communications Commission, 1970-1971
|
|
| Folder |
8 |
Financial Information, 1967-1968
|
|
| Folder |
9 |
Foundations, 1978
|
|
| Folder |
11 |
Fundraising, 1971-1976
|
|
| Folder |
12 |
Group Ruling, 1968
|
|
| Folder |
13 |
Heide, Wilma Scott, 1970-1973
|
|
| Folder |
14 |
Legal Defense and Education Fund, 1977
|
|
| Folder |
15 |
Legal Issues, 1975
|
|
| Folder |
16 |
Legislation, 1968
|
|
| Folder |
17 |
Lobbying Information, 1975
|
|
| Folder |
18 |
Los Angeles Conference, 1971
|
|
| Folder |
19 |
Members, 1969-1970
|
|
| Folder |
20 |
Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, 1977
|
|
| Folders |
21-22 |
Miscellaneous, 1969-1977
|
|
| Folder |
23 |
Newsletters, 1977
|
|
| Folder |
24 |
Newsletters, 1977-1988
|
|
| Folder |
26 |
October 17th Movement, 1968
|
|
| Folder |
27 |
Organizational Information, 1966-1969
|
|
| Folder |
28 |
Press Releases, 1971
|
|
| Folder |
29 |
Proposed Resolutions, 1975
|
|
| Folder |
30 |
Publications, 1970-1990
|
|
Box 6
| Folder |
1 |
Public Schools, 1971
|
|
| Folder |
3 |
Religion, 1969-1970
|
|
| Folder |
5 |
SMOKE Campaign, 1969
|
|
| Folder |
6 |
Women and the Law Conference, 1978
|
|
Subseries 3. Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh Chapters, 1966-1998
| Folder |
7 |
Agenda, 1970-1971
|
|
| Folder |
8 |
Archives, 1970-1971
|
|
| Folder |
9 |
Bott, Margaret, 1971
|
|
| Folder |
10 |
By-Laws, 1970-1971
|
|
| Folder |
11 |
Committees, 1971
|
|
| Folder |
12 |
Elections, 1970-1971
|
|
| Folder |
13 |
Guests, 1970-1971
|
|
| Folder |
14 |
Leadership Information, 1982
|
|
| Folder |
15 |
Legislation, 1969
|
|
| Folder |
16 |
Literature Committee, 1970
|
|
| Folder |
19 |
Minutes, 1969-1970
|
|
| Folder |
20 |
New Chapter Information, 1966-1971
|
|
| Folder |
21 |
Newsletters, 1969-1971
|
|
| Folder |
22 |
Newsletters, 1972-1976
|
|
| Folder |
24 |
Organizational Information, 1977-1984
|
|
| Folder |
25 |
Pennsylvania NOW Times, 1974-1975
|
|
| Folder |
26 |
Pennsylvania NOW Times, 1976-1978
|
|
| Folder |
27 |
Pennsylvania NOW Times, 1980-1998
|
|
| Folder |
28 |
Pennsylvania State Conference, 1976
|
|
| Folder |
29 |
Programs, 1970-1971
|
|
| Folder |
30 |
Promotional Material, undated
|
|
| Folder |
31 |
Public Relations, 1970-1971
|
|
| Folder |
32 |
Reports, 1968-1971
|
|
| Folder |
33 |
South Hills Chapter, 1971
|
|
Box 7
| Folder |
1 |
Speakers, 1970-1971
|
|
| Folder |
3 |
Treasurer, 1970-1971
|
|
Series IV. Personal Records, 1970-1992
|
Scope and Content Notes: Series IV consists of Witter's personal records. This series includes wills, resumes, and campaign materials. The series is arranged alphabetically by subject.
|
| Folder |
4 |
Campaign Materials, 1970-1982
|
|
| Folder |
5 |
Resumes, 1978, undated
|
|
| Folder |
6 |
Will and Final Wishes, 1975-1992
|
|
Series V. Women's Issues, 1965-2003
|
Scope and Content Notes: Series V contains a sampling of information related to women's issues that Witter was interested in but not involved with. The material for this collection was chosen for representation because it was the most common or because it was previously categorized by subject by Witter. This series includes articles, reports, and notes. The series is arranged alphabetically by subject.
|
| Folders |
7-9 |
Abortion, 1968-1989
|
|
| Folders |
10-11 |
Affirmative Action, 1969-1971
|
|
| Folder |
12 |
Articles, 1968-1969
|
|
| Folder |
13 |
Black Women's Conference, 1972
|
|
| Folder |
14 |
Bulletins, 1967-1968
|
|
| Folder |
15 |
Child Care, 1968-1970
|
|
| Folder |
16 |
Coalition to Unite Women, 1969
|
|
| Folder |
17 |
Contract Compliance, 1970
|
|
| Folder |
18 |
Court Cases, 1969
|
|
| Folder |
19 |
Custody, undated
|
|
| Folder |
20 |
Daly, Mary, 1969-1974
|
|
| Folder |
21 |
Divorce, 1970-1972
|
|
| Folder |
22 |
Divorce Reform, 1969-1971
|
|
| Folder |
23 |
Equal Employment, 1971-1989
|
|
| Folder |
24 |
Fahnestock, Betty, 1969
|
|
| Folder |
25 |
Fair Labor Standards Act, 1966-1968
|
|
| Folders |
26-27 |
Family, 1968-1988
|
|
| Folders |
28-29 |
Federally Employed Women, 1969-1972
|
|
| Folder |
30 |
Friedan, Betty, 1968-1969
|
|
| Folder |
31 |
Gardner, Jo-Ann Evans, 1969-1971
|
|
| Folder |
32 |
Hill, Cynthia Judd, 1970-1993
|
|
Box 8
| Folders |
1-2 |
Hill, Cynthia Judd 1970-1993
|
|
| Folder |
3 |
Homemakers, 1973-1974
|
|
| Folder |
4 |
International Women's Year, 1975-1976
|
|
| Folder |
5 |
Lobbying, 1971-2003
|
|
| Folder |
6 |
Maternity Leave, 1968
|
|
| Folder |
7 |
Medicine, 1968-1969
|
|
| Folder |
8 |
Menopause, 1970-1976
|
|
| Folder |
9 |
Men's Liberation, 1970-1971
|
|
| Folder |
10 |
Mental Health, 1969
|
|
| Folders |
11-12 |
Miscellaneous, 1971-1999
|
|
| Folder |
14 |
Office of Federal Contract Compliance, 1969
|
|
| Folder |
15 |
Older Women, 1968-1972
|
|
| Folder |
16 |
Parent Teacher Association, 1969
|
|
| Folders |
17-19 |
Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, 1966-1974
|
|
| Folder |
20 |
Pennsylvanians for Women's Rights, 1969-1971
|
|
| Folder |
21 |
Pittsburgh Plate Glass, 1969
|
|
| Folders |
22-23 |
Pittsburgh Press, 1969
|
|
| Folder |
24 |
Post Office Employment, 1970-1972
|
|
Box 9
| Folder |
1 |
Standby Tax, 1985
|
|
| Folders |
2-4 |
Statistics, 1965-1980
|
|
| Folder |
5 |
Swanton, Mary Ellen, 1970
|
|
| Folders |
6-7 |
Television and Radio, 1969-1972
|
|
| Folder |
8 |
University of Pittsburgh, 1971
|
|
| Folder |
9 |
Women's Equal Rights Commission, undated
|
|
| Folder |
10 |
Women as Property, undated
|
|
Series VI. Writings, 1955-2003
|
Scope and Content Notes: Series VI consists of Witter's personal writings, including material on the women's movement, the ERA, and her own personal reflections. This series contains notebooks, essays, and articles. The series is arranged alphabetically by subject.
|
| Folder |
11 |
Articles about Witter, 1970-1977
|
|
| Folder |
12 |
"Courage To Be," 1994
|
|
| Folder |
13 |
Equal Rights Amendment, 1969-1978, undated
|
|
| Folder |
14 |
Equal Rights Amendment, "The Best Kept Secret of the 20th Century," 1970, undated
|
|
| Folder |
15 |
Equal Rights Amendment, "Extending Ratification Time for the ERA," 1978
|
|
| Folder |
16 |
Equal Rights Amendment, "Fear and Fallacy," undated
|
|
| Folder |
17 |
Equal Rights Amendment, "Dyer v. Blair," 1976
|
|
| Folder |
18 |
Equal Rights Amendment, "Fourteenth Amendment Approach," undated
|
|
| Folder |
19 |
Equal Rights Amendment, "The Privacy Problem," undated
|
|
| Folder |
20 |
Equal Rights Amendment, "Why a Constitutional Amendment?," undated
|
|
| Folder |
21 |
General Issues, 1955-1967
|
|
| Folder |
22 |
Legal Issues, 1972-1982
|
|
| Folder |
23 |
Miscellaneous Notes, undated
|
|
| Folder |
24 |
Personal Notebooks, 1964-1970
|
|
| Folder |
25 |
Personal Notebooks, 1973-1974
|
|
| Folder |
26 |
Personal Notebooks, 1974-1975
|
|
| Folder |
27 |
Personal Notebooks, 1975
|
|
| Folder |
28 |
Personal Notebooks, 1975-1977
|
|
| Folder |
29 |
Personal Notebooks, 1977
|
|
Box 10
| Folder |
1 |
Personal Notebooks, 1978-1983
|
|
| Folder |
2 |
Personal Notebooks, 1983
|
|
| Folder |
3 |
Personal Notebooks, 1985-1987
|
|
| Folder |
4 |
Personal Notebooks, 1987
|
|
| Folder |
5 |
Personal Notebooks, 1987-1993
|
|
| Folder |
6 |
Personal Notebooks, 1994-2003
|
|
| Folders |
7-8 |
Personal Notebooks, undated
|
|
| Folder |
9 |
Poems, 1968-1979
|
|
| Folder |
10 |
Poems, 1980-1987
|
|
| Folder |
12 |
Women's Issues, 1968-1972, undated
|
|
| Folder |
13 |
Women's Issues, "Oppression in Women," 1970
|
|
| Folder |
14 |
Women's Issues, "Pittsburgh Press v. PHRC," 1973
|
|
| Folder |
15 |
Women's Issues, "Protective Labor Laws," undated
|
|
| Folder |
16 |
Women's Issues, Women's Liberation Sermon, 1971-1972
|
|
| Folder |
17 |
"Why I Lost the Election," 1970
|
|
Series VII. Women's Movement Material, 1971-1992
|
Scope and Content Notes: Series VII consists of assorted material relating to the women's rights movement, particularly the passage of the ERA. The majority of this material is propaganda and audio/visual material geared to promote recognition of women's issues. This series includes LPs, posters, buttons, jewelry, audio cassettes, and a VHS videotape. The series is arranged by type of material.
|
| Record |
1 |
"Ballad of the ERA/Farmer," 1977
|
|
| Record |
2 |
"Liberation NOW", undated
|
|
| Volume |
1 |
Sexism Board Game, 1971
|
|
| Volume |
2 |
Equal Rights Amendment Timeline, 1970s
|
|
Box 11
| Folders |
1-3 |
ERA Buttons, undated
|
|
| Folder |
4 |
ERA Pendant, undated
|
|
| Folder |
5 |
ERA YES Button, undated
|
|
| Folder |
6 |
International Women's Year Badge, 1975
|
|
| Folder |
7 |
International Women's Year Jewelry, 1975
|
|
| Folder |
8 |
Lobbying Buttons, undated
|
|
| Cassette |
1 |
Community Treatment Centers Talk, 1971
|
|
| Cassette |
2 |
Equal Rights Amendment Broadcast, 1971
|
|
| Cassette |
3 |
Goldsmith, Judy, on Women's Rights, 1984
|
|
| Cassette |
4 |
Schlafly, Phyllis, Testimony Against the ERA, 1973
|
|
| Cassette |
5 |
Sermon on Women's Rights, 1971
|
|
| Cassette |
6 |
Women and Religion Broadcast, 1971
|
|
| Videotape |
1 |
"We Won't Go Back!," 1992
|
|
|
