| Date Span: | 1964-1991 |
| Creator: | Cohen, Gertrude (1913- ) |
| Extent: | 1.00 linear inch. |
| Collection Number: | IWA0358 |
| Repository: | Iowa Women's Archives |
| Summary: | Member of the Iowa House of Representatives, 1965-1966, and the first Jewish woman elected to the Iowa Legislature. |
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.
Alternate Extent Statement: Artifacts and photographs in Box 1
Access: The papers are open for research.
Use: Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa.
Acquisition: The papers (donor no. 501) were donated by Gertrude Cohen in 1998.
Preferred Citation: Gertrude Cohen papers, Iowa Women's Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City.
| Repository: | Iowa Women's Archives |
| Address: | 100 Main Library University of Iowa Libraries Iowa City, IA 52242 |
| Phone: | 319-335-5068 |
| Curator: | Kären Mason |
| Email: | lib-women@uiowa.edu |
| Website: | http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa |
Browse by Series:
Series 1: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Series 2: POLITICAL ACTIVISM
Series 3: CORRESPONDENCE
Series 4: PHOTOGRAPHS
Series 5: ARTIFACTS
This collection is indexed under the following subject terms.
