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COLLECTION Identifier: MC 905

Papers of Alice Gram Robinson, 1917-1968, 1999

Overview

Article drafts, correspondence, and photographs of journalist and suffrage activist Alice Gram Robinson.

Dates

  • Creation: 1917-1968
  • Creation: 1999

Language of Materials

Materials in English.

Access Restrictions:

Access. Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright. Copyright in the papers created by Alice Gram Robinson as well as copyright in other papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.

Copying. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.

Extent

.21 linear feet ((1 half file box) plus 2 photograph folders)

The papers of Alice Gram Robinson include typescript and handwritten drafts of Gram Robinson's autobiographical speeches and articles, material relating to the Congressional Digest, which Robinson founded, and a few photographs. There are several drafts or versions of a history of the National Women's Press Club; some are more autobiographical, specifically addressing Gram Robinson's experiences as a suffrage activist. Other articles appear to have been written by Gram Robinson during her time as a freelance magazine journalist in the 1920s, and generally highlight specific women and their work.

Most of the photographs in this collection are or will be digitized and available online.

BIOGRAPHY

Alice Gram Robinson was born on March 16, 1895, in Omaha, Nebraska, the sixth of seven children born to Danish immigrants Karen Jensen (1863-1947) and Andreas (Andrew) Peter Gram (1855-1922). The Gram family moved to Portland, Oregon, in 1904, where Alice was encouraged as a high school student to pursue journalism. With her sister Betty, Alice became active in suffrage politics in Washington, DC, and was arrested for picketing the White House on November 10, 1917, and sent to the Occuquan Workhouse in Virginia.

Gram Robinson was a founder of the National Women's Press Club (now the Washington Press Club) in 1919. She was a Washington, DC, correspondent for several magazines, including Good Housekeeping, Fashion Art, and Farmer's Wife. In 1921 she founded the periodical Congressional Digest, which aimed to provide in-depth coverage of one issue before each session of Congress. She served as its president until 1983.

She married Norborne T.N. Robinson, Jr. (1876-1947), a founder of the National Press Club, in 1922. Their son, Norberne T.N. Robinson III, was born in 1925. Alice Gram Robinson and Norborne T.N. Robinson, Jr, divorced in 1945.

Alice Gram Robinson continued to be politically active after suffrage. In 1928 she was the director of the Women's Division of the Republican National Committee. She lived in Washington, DC, until 1983, when she moved to a retirement home in Virginia. Alice Gram Robinson died January 24, 1984.

Physical Location

Collection stored off site: researchers must request access 36 hours before use.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Accession number: 2015-M30

The papers of Alice Gram Robinson were given to the Schlesinger Library in March 2015 by her granddaughter Page Gram Robinson, via Pam Swing.

Related Material:

There is related material at the Schlesinger Library; see Betty Gram Swing Papers, 1912-1969 (MC 890).

Processing Information

Processed: March 2017

By: Jenny Gotwals, with assistance from Margaret Dalton.

Title
Robinson, Alice Gram, 1895-1984. Papers of Alice Gram Robinson, 1917-1968, 1999: A Finding Aid
Author
Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
Language of description
eng
Sponsor
Processing of this collection was made possible by a gift from the Alice Jeannette Ward Fund.
EAD ID
sch01558

Repository Details

Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository

The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.

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