Out of These Roots; The Autobiography of an American Woman

x, [2], 385, [3 pages. Frontis illustration. Book includes Author's Note and Index. Cover is somewhat worn and scuffed, Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper. Inscription reads: For Mary, The Sage of the Washington Post, from Agnes E. Meyer. The recipient was believed to be Mary McGrory. Topics covered include Childhood, Adolescence, College Days, New Horizons, Europe, The Female Egotist Gets Married, Boss Ward--The Last of the Barons, Commissioner of Recreation, Washington, World War in Britain, America's Home Front, the Revival of Community Initiative, The Mills of Democracy, The Battle to Improve Public Education, Health for all Americans, Women Aren't Men, Out of These Roots, and Index. Agnes E. Meyer was the wife of Eugene Meyer, who served as the Governor of the Federal Reserve Board, as the Managing Director of the War Finance Corporation, and who also purchased the Washington Post newspaper. Agnes Elizabeth Ernst Meyer (née Ernst; January 2, 1887 - September 1, 1970) was an American journalist, philanthropist, civil rights activist, and art patron. Throughout her life, Meyer was engaged with intellectuals, artists, and writers from around the world. Meyer's marriage to the financier Eugene Meyer, son of Marc Eugene Meyer, provided her with wealth and status that enabled her to influence national policy, such as social welfare programs. Meyer lobbied for the creation of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare and for the U.S. government to provide federal aid to states for education. President Lyndon Johnson credited Meyer for building public support for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which for the first time directed federal assistance towards school districts that served children from low-income families. She advocated for equal employment and educational opportunities, regardless of race. Meyer's investigative journalism showed the inequities of racial segregation in schools in the Washington metropolitan area. The purchase of The Washington Post in 1933 gave Meyer and her family the capacity to affect American opinion for several generations. Daughter Katharine Graham led the newspaper during the coverage of Watergate Investigation that eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon and earned the paper a Pulitzer Prize. During Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communist campaign in the 1950s, Meyer delivered speeches that characterized the campaign as a threat to academic freedom. Meyer's investigative journalism showed the inequities of racial segregation in the Washington metropolitan area schools. President Lyndon Johnson credited Meyer for building public support for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which for the first time directed federal assistance towards school districts that served children from low-income families. Meyer lobbied for integration of public schools and an end to racial discrimination in employment. Meyer advocated for the creation of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare and the United States government providing federal aid to states for education. Lyndon B. Johnson credited her with having the most influence over his education policies. On November 17, 1956, Agnes E. Meyer addressed the National Council of Negro Women in Washington D.C. Throughout the 1960s she continued to dedicate her time to improving public education through the creation and financial support of several not-for profit organizations. Derived from a Kirkus review: "Democracy is hard work"- so says Mrs. Meyer, who has lived her faith in democracy to the full. And not shirked the hard work. This is the story of a full life. An honest story, revealing the insecurities of her adolescent years, and how in her maturer years she found again the roots of early childhood happiness. It is a story of a period of feverish seeking in fields of art and letters; it is a story of a marriage to a financier, a public servant, a newspaper publisher -- and of. …