Patricia Ireland

Template:Short descriptionPatricia Ireland (born October 19, 1945) is an American administrator and feminist. She served as president of the National Organization for Women from 1991 to 2001 and published an autobiography, What Women Want, in 1996.

Early life

Ireland was born on October 19, 1945, in Oak Park, Illinois. Her parents were James Ireland, a metallurgical engineer, and Joan Filipek, a volunteer counselor at Planned Parenthood. She grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana, and graduated from Valparaiso High School at the age of sixteen in 1962.<ref name="Engelbert2001">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She began studying at DePauw University and married Don Anderson, a student at Ball State University, and the couple transferred to the University of Tennessee. She quickly divorced her first husband and received her bachelor's degree from the university in 1966.<ref name="Engelbert2001" /> She received a J.D. degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 1975. She also attended Florida State University College of Law.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Career

Before beginning a career as an attorney, Ireland worked as a flight attendant for Pan Am. After discovering gender-based discrepancies in the treatment of insurance coverage for spouses of employees, Ireland fought successfully for a change in coverage. Knowing that ignorance of the law was a disadvantage, she immediately began law school and performing volunteer work for the National Organization for Women (NOW).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She moved to Washington, DC, as an elected officer of NOW. Ireland advocated extensively for the rights of poor women, gays and lesbians, and African-American women. She has also advocated electing female candidates, and training people to defend clinics from anti-abortion protesters around the United States. Ireland became the president of NOW in 1991. She ran for re-election in 1993, winning with 671 votes against Efia Nwangaza, who received 235 votes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Immediately following Ireland's appointment to president of NOW, questions arose about her sexual orientation.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> On December 17, 1991, she gave an interview with The Advocate, in which she states that she had a female companion while remaining married to her second husband.<ref>Thru the years - cover story. The words I use are the words I use. I have a companion, and she's very important in my life. The Advocate 1991-12-17. Retrieved 2014-10-16.</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She published a book, What Women Want, in 1996.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2003, Ireland served for six months as the CEO of the YWCA. In October 2003, Ireland was dismissed after refusing to step down, although YWCA spokespeople denied that conservative pressure was a factor in the decision.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following her dismissal from the YWCA, Ireland was former Senator Carol Moseley Braun's national campaign manager for her brief 2004 presidential bid.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Ireland returned to Miami and resumed practicing law, representing unions and their members until her retirement in 2023.

External links

• Papers of NOW officer Patricia Ireland, 1972-2005. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
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