Reyher, Rebecca Hourwich, 1897-1987

Rebecca Hourwich Reyher was born on January 21, 1897, in New York City, the second child of Isaac Hourwich (1860-1924) and his second wife Louise Elizabeth "Lisa" (Joffe) Hourwich (1866-1947). Rebecca enrolled at Columbia University's extension school in 1915 and took classes at the University of Chicago in the early 1920s; she received her bachelor's degree in 1954, after taking summer school classes at the University of Chicago. While living in Washington, D.C., Rebecca became interested in the women's movement, and in March 1913, she began her life's work for women's rights by participating in the first national suffrage parade in the United States. She carried her new-found passion to New York City and beyond, organizing street meetings and opening offices for the National Woman's Party. In 1917, she married fellow writer Ferdinand Reyher. Their daughter Faith was born in 1919. The marriage was unconventional from the beginning, with Reyher continuing to travel for the National Woman's Party; by the late 1920s she was raising Faith by herself. Because she traveled extensively, Reyher often left her daughter in the care of others, occasionally at her cherished house in Robinhood, Maine. The couple divorced in 1934. In 1924, Reyher took her first trip to South Africa as a journalist; it opened her eyes to the plight of women in other countries, and inspired at least four more trips to the African continent. She wrote many books and articles (some unpublished) regarding women's rights throughout Africa, India, and Sri Lanka. Back in the United States, Reyher continued her work with the National Woman's Party, maintaining close friendships with many of the women and men who fought for equal rights for women. Reyher worked a wide variety of jobs in the 1930s. In the early part of the decade, she was a public relations assistant to the president of the board of aldermen of New York City,Joseph V. McKee; she wrote a column, "Your City and Mine," for the New York Evening World under his signature and also helped prepare speeches and articles for him. She also worked for both the Federal Works Progress Administration and the People's Mandate Committee, serving as part of the latter's "Flying Caravan" mission, which traveled through South and Central America supporting ratification of the Buenos Aires Peace Treaties. In 1934, she again traveled to Africa, this time with her daughter. They spent six months in Zululand, where Reyher met Christina Sibiya. Sibiya had been brought up in a Christian compound but left it at the age of fifteen to become the first wife of Solomon ka Dinuzulu, King of the Zulus. Reyher and Sibiya had many conversations (via a translator), leading to Reyher's book Zulu woman (1948), the story of Sibiya's first meeting with Solomon, her experiences as one of his sixty-five wives, and his increasingly violent behavior, which finally caused her to leave him. The book also addressed the increasing Westernization of Africa and the ensuing conflict with traditional customs and practices. In the 1940s, Reyher wrote two children's books, edited a book of baby cartoons and an anthology of writings on children and childcare, as well as writing Zulu woman. In 1949 she traveled to West Africa, to visit the Fon of Bikom, a tribal chieftain who had gained worldwide notoriety due to reports that he had over one hundred wives. Her book, The Fon and his hundred wives, was published in 1952. She traveled to South Africa again in 1950 and during this trip wrote columns for several Cape Town newspapers. Both these trips provided material for several additional articles. In 1957, she traveled to Uganda and the Belgian Congo; she was also active on the United States lecture circuit in the 1950s and 1960s. She took classes at the New School for Social Research in the 1960s and began teaching there, primarily on Africa. In 1965, she traveled to Africa for the last time, and interviewed many influential African women, continuing work she had begun in the 1950s. She planned two books based on this research: Africa's first ladies, and African women: the key to the continent, but neither was ever published. During her travels around the African continent, Reyher collected many artifacts, which were donated to Westbrook College as the Sinon-Reyher Collection of Africana and Americana. Reyher spent a considerable portion of her time in the late 1960s and early 1970s caring for her sister Olga ("Dicky"), whose health was deteriorating. Reyher herself suffered from increasing ailments during this time, but continued to live in her New York City apartment, despite failing eyesight, until 1984, when she moved to Maryland to live with her daughter. Reyher died of pneumonia on January 9, 1987.

From the description of Rebecca Hourwich Reyher colletion, 1960-1987 (University of New England). WorldCat record id: 767818504

Rebecca Reyher was born in 1897 in New York City and received her B.A. from the New York School of Social Work. After additionally attending Columbia University and the University of Chicago, Reyher became very active in women's rights. She worked for the Woman's Political Union and National Woman's Party. In 1923, Reyher spent significant time in Zululand on location with Hearst's International magazine. Over twenty years later, her book Zulu Woman: The Autobiography of Christina Sibiya was published. Reyher's travels all around the world well prepared her for her involvement with the International Institute of Women's Studies and the Dominican Republic Settlement Association. Reyher died in 1987.Biographical source: Something About the Author. Volume 18, 1980.

From the description of Rebecca Reyher Collection 1945. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 426796472

Author, lecturer, suffragist, and traveler, Rebecca Hourwich Reyher was born on January 21, 1897, in New York City, the second child of Isaac Hourwich (1860-1924) and his second wife Louise Elizabeth "Lisa" (Joffe) Hourwich (1866-1947). Reyher enrolled in Columbia University's extension school in 1915 and took classes at the University of Chicago in the early 1920s; she received her bachelor's degree in 1954, after taking summer school classes at the University of Chicago. In March 1913, Reyher marched in the first suffrage parade in the United States; soon thereafter, she began work for the National Woman's Party and she remained passionate about women's rights for the rest of her life. In 1917, she married fellow writer Ferdinand Reyher; their daughter Faith was born in 1919, and the couple divorced in 1934.

Reyher took her first trip to South Africa as a journalist in 1924; this trip opened her eyes to the plight of women in other countries and inspired several more trips to the African continent. In 1934, she met Christina Sibiya, the first wife of Solomon ka Dinuzulu, King of the Zulus. This encounter resulted in Reyher's book Zulu Woman (1948), the story of Sibiya's first meeting with Solomon, her experiences as one of his sixty-five wives, and his increasingly violent behavior, which finally caused her to leave him. The book also addressed the increasing Westernization of Africa and the ensuing conflict with traditional customs and practices. Reyher's other books included the children's book My Mother Is the Most Beautiful Woman in the World (1945) and The Fon and His Hundred Wives (1952). She contributed articles to numerous newspapers and magazines and also lectured widely. In the 1930s, Reyher became involved with the People's Mandate Committee, serving as part of the Committee's "Flying Caravan" mission, which traveled through South and Central America supporting ratification of the Buenos Aires Peace Treaties. She hosted a weekly half-hour radio program, "City Fun with Children," which featured guests from museums, zoos, and parks in New York City and aired from 1945 to 1949. In the 1960s, she began lecturing, primarily on Africa, at the New School for Social Research. Reyher died of pneumonia on January 9, 1987.

From the description of Papers of Rebecca Hourwich Reyher, 1877-1988 (inclusive), 1915-1970 (bulk). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 429237426

Rebecca Hourwich Reyher was born on January 21, 1897, in New York City, the second child of Isaac Hourwich (1860-1924) and his second wife Louise Elizabeth "Lisa" (Joffe) Hourwich (1866-1947). They had four other children together: Iskander "Sasha" Hourwich (1895-1968), Olga "Dicky" Hourwich (1902-1977), George Kennan Hourwich (1904-1978), and Ena (Hourwich) Kunzer (1906-1989). Isaac had fled Russia around 1890, leaving his first wife Yelena (Kushelevsky) Hourwich (whom he later divorced), and four children, Nicholas Hourwich (1882-1934), Maria (Hourwich) Kravitz (1883-), Rosa Hourwich (ca.1884-), and Vera (Hourwich) Semmens (1890-1976), behind. Isaac was a practicing lawyer in Russia and the United States, as well as a Yiddish newspaper writer. Louise taught school in Russia, and, after immigrating to the United States with her family, attended law school. In 1900, the family moved to Washington, D.C., where Isaac had a job with the U.S. Census. In 1906, he returned to Russia and ran for election to the Duma in Minsk. By 1915, the family had moved back to New York. Rebecca enrolled at Columbia University's extension school in 1915 and took classes at the University of Chicago in the early 1920s; she received her bachelor's degree in 1954, after taking summer school classes at the University of Chicago.

While living in Washington, D.C., Rebecca became interested in the women's movement, and in March 1913, she began her life's work for women's rights by participating in the first national suffrage parade in the United States. She carried her new-found passion to New York City and beyond, organizing street meetings and opening offices for the National Woman's Party. In 1917, she married fellow writer Ferdinand Reyher. Their daughter Faith was born in 1919. The marriage was unconventional from the beginning, with Reyher continuing to travel for the National Woman's Party; by the late 1920s she was raising Faith by herself. Because she traveled extensively, Reyher often left her daughter in the care of others, occasionally at her cherished house in Robinhood, Maine. The couple divorced in 1934, with Ferdinand continuing to provide financial support for Faith. Reyher had many admirers, but remained single for the rest of her life.

In 1924, Reyher took her first trip to South Africa as a journalist; it opened her eyes to the plight of women in other countries, and inspired at least four more trips to the African continent. She wrote many books and articles (some unpublished) regarding women's rights throughout Africa, India, and Sri Lanka. Back in the United States, Reyher continued her work with the National Woman's Party, maintaining close friendships with many of the women and men who fought for equal rights for women.

Reyher worked a wide variety of jobs in the 1930s. In the early part of the decade, she was a public relations assistant to the president of the board of aldermen of New York City, Joseph V. McKee; she wrote a column, Your City and Mine, for the New York Evening World under his signature and also helped prepare speeches and articles for him. She and John Huston co-wrote a screenplay titled Rhodes, based on the life of Cecil Rhodes; Huston's father Walter subsequently starred in a film called Rhodes of Africa, but neither Reyher nor the younger Huston were credited for their work. She also worked for both the Federal Works Progress Administration and the People's Mandate Committee, serving as part of the latter's "Flying Caravan" mission, which traveled through South and Central America supporting ratification of the Buenos Aires Peace Treaties. In 1934, she again traveled to Africa, this time with her daughter. They spent six months in Zululand, where Reyher met Christina Sibiya. Sibiya had been brought up in a Christian compound but left it at the age of fifteen to become the first wife of Solomon ka Dinuzulu, King of the Zulus. Reyher and Sibiya had many conversations (via a translator), leading to Reyher's book Zulu Woman (1948), the story of Sibiya's first meeting with Solomon, her experiences as one of his sixty-five wives, and his increasingly violent behavior, which finally caused her to leave him. The book also addressed the increasing Westernization of Africa and the ensuing conflict with traditional customs and practices.

In the 1940s, Reyher wrote two children's books ( Babies and Puppies Are Fun, 1944, and My Mother Is the Most Beautiful Woman in the World, 1945), edited a book of baby cartoons ( The Stork Run, 1944) and an anthology of writings on children and childcare ( Babies Keep Coming, 1947), as well as writing Zulu Woman . (She had begun writing Zulu Woman in the 1930s, but as with many of her books, it was a number of years before the book was accepted for publication. Although Reyher was a widely published author of both books and magazine articles, many of her ideas for both books and articles never found approval with publishers.)

She also hosted a weekly half-hour radio program, City Fun with Children, which featured guests from museums, zoos, and parks in New York City and aired from 1945 to 1949. In 1949 she traveled to West Africa, to visit the Fon of Bikom, a tribal chieftain who had gained worldwide notoriety due to reports that he had over one hundred wives. Her book, The Fon and His Hundred Wives, was published in 1952. She traveled to South Africa again in 1950 and during this trip wrote columns for several Cape Town newspapers. Both these trips provided material for several additional articles. In 1957, she traveled to Uganda and the Belgian Congo; she was also active on the United States lecture circuit in the 1950s and 1960s. She took classes at the New School for Social Research in the 1960s and began teaching there, primarily on Africa. In 1965, she traveled to Africa for the last time, and interviewed many influential African women, continuing work she had begun in the 1950s. She planned two books based on this research: Africa's First Ladies, and African Women: The Key to the Continent, but neither was ever published.

Reyher spent a considerable portion of her time in the late 1960s and early 1970s caring for her sister Olga ("Dicky"), whose health was deteriorating. Reyher herself suffered from increasing ailments during this time, but continued to live in her New York City apartment, despite failing eyesight, until 1984, when she moved to Maryland to live with her daughter. Reyher died of pneumonia on January 9, 1987.

• 1913 - 1914 : Washington, D.C.: Washington, D. C. District of Columbia Friendship Settlement House,Washington, D.C.: trained girls to play basketball Washington, D.C.: Washington, D. C. District of Columbia National Woman's Party Parade, Washington, D.C.: participated in parade
• 1915: New York: New York Columbia University's extension division, New York: attended as a special student Newark, New Jersey: Newark Women's Political Union,Newark, New Jersey: organized street meetings Brockton, Massachusetts: Brockton National Woman Suffrage Association, Brockton, Massachusetts: organized members
• 1916: Illinois: Illinois University of Chicago,Illinois: president of University Women's Peace Society and attended classes Chicago: Chicago Chicago Fire Department District 4 Station 32 La Quinta Inn Chicago O'Hare Airport Chicago Engine Company 125 Rio Chicansago Chicago Graphic Arts Institute East Chicago City Hall Chicago Weather Service Forecast Office Chicago Ridge School Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Chicago Ridge Chicago Milwaukee Saint Paul and Pacific Overpass Bridge Ramada Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel Cachica Chicago Fire Department District 6 Station 24 East Chicago Fire Station Number 2 Four Points Chicago Midway Chicago Chicago Engine Company 112 Chicago and Northwestern Station Chicago Fire Department District 4 Station 96 Skydive Chicago Airport WXRT-FM (Chicago) Woman's City Club,Chicago: mentored working class women at Hull House Settlement
• 1917: New York: New York New York: Married Ferdinand Reyher Washington, D.C.: Washington, D. C. District of Columbia National Woman's Party,Washington, D.C.: worked at headquarters
• 1918 - 1919 : Boston, Massachusetts: Boston National Woman's Party,Boston, Massachusetts: founded office New York: New York National Woman's Party, New York: managed office and organized demonstrations
• 1919: New York: daughter Faith born
• 1920: New York School of Social Work,New York: attended classes
• 1921: Washington, D.C.: Washington, D. C. District of Columbia National Woman's Party, Washington, D.C.: worked at headquarters
• 1921 - 1978 : New York New York Robinhood, Maine Robinhood Illinois Illinois Washington, D.C.: Washington, D. C. District of Columbia New York;Robinhood, Maine;Illinois,Washington, D.C.: wrote articles for and letters to the editor of various newspapers.
• 1922 - 1924 : National Woman's Party National Womens Party Building New York: New York National Woman's Party, New York: organized commemoration of first Woman's Rights Convention at Seneca Falls Chicago, Illinois: Chicago National Woman's Party,Chicago, Illinois: founded Chicago office South Africa Republic of South Africa Feature writer for Hearst's International magazine: traveled to South Africa
• 1927 - 1929 : New York: New York National Woman’s Party, New York: associate editor of Equal Rights and active organizer New York: New York J. Walter Thompson and Company, New York: wrote advertising copy and edited the company's newsletter Egypt Arab Republic of Egypt Palestine Palestine Palestine (historical) Palestine Cemetery Palestine Public Library La Palestina Palestine Middle School Urochishche Palestina Township of Palestine Palestine Carnegie Library Palestine Church Palestine Church Palestine School (historical) New Palestine Palestina Palestina Nueva Palestina Saint Palestine Church Galestina Canyon Palestine School (historical) Upper Galestina Number One A Reservoir Palestine Church Palestina Palestine Church Syria Syrian Arab Republic Greece Hellenic Republic Russia Russian Federation Travel companion to Letty Kuhn in Egypt,Palestine,Syria,Greece, and Russia
• 1930: Public relations assistant to New York Alderman Joseph McKee
• 1931 - 1933 : Sears Roebuck and Company: staff consultant for merchandising and community trends as applied to women
• 1934 - 1935 : Reno, Nevada Reno Wrote articles while obtaining divorce in Reno, Nevada South Africa Republic of South Africa Gathered material for Zulu Woman and articles in South Africa Worked on screen play of Rhodes of Africa with John Huston
• 1935 - 1939 : New York New York New England: New England New England Settlement Military Museum of Southern New England New England Power Number 4 Dam Phoenix House of New England - Phoenix Academy Maine New England College of Optometry New England Rehabilitation Hospital Stat Ambulance Service of New England New England New England Executive Park New England Quilt Museum New England Building HVDC Quebec-New England - Des Cantons Grounding Electrode HVDC Quebec-New England - Nicolet Static Inverter Plant New England Creek New England Park Best Western New England Inn New England Mine New England Hall Primary Colors Childrens Centre of New England Best Western New Englander HVDC Quebec-New England - James Bay Static Inverter Plant Naval Health Clinic New England Works Progress Administration, New York, and New England: regional director and assistant to director for Information and Motion Pictures Service
• 1937: People's Mandate Committee for Inter-American Peace and Cooperation: member of Flying Caravan delegation to South America
• 1939 - 1943 : New York: New York Dominican Republic Dominican Republic Dominican Republic Settlement Association, New York: helped create World War II refugee settlement in the Dominican Republic
• 1944: Babies and Puppies Are Fun published The Stork Run published
• 1945: My Mother Is the Most Beautiful Woman in the World: A Russian Folktale published
• 1945 - 1949 : City Fun with Children (radio series) WNYC,New York City
• 1946: Behind the Scenes with the UN (radio series), WNYC,New York City
• 1947: Babies Keep Coming published
• 1948: Zulu Woman published; condensed version appeared in Life magazine New York University: gave lectures on her travels and suffrage work
• 1949 - 1950 : Nigeria Federal Republic of Nigeria British Cameroons Gathered material for The Fon and His Hundred Wives and wrote articles for various African newspapers and magazines while in Nigeria and British Cameroons
• 1951 - 1952 : Belgian Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo Uganda Republic of Uganda Kenya Republic of Kenya Travel for writing and lecture material in Belgian Congo, Nigeria, Uganda, and Kenya Pakistan Islamic Republic of Pakistan India Republic of India Ceylon Ceylon Bank of Ceylon The Vidyodaya University of Ceylon Bank of Ceylon Ceylon Ceylon Tobacco Company Ceylon Junction Bank of Ceylon Ceylon Ceylon Staatsbos Ceylon Ceylon State Wildlife Management Areas The Vidyalankara University of Ceylon Ceylon Post Office Bank of Ceylon Ceylonia Ceylon Bank of Ceylon Ceylon Regional Park Ceylon Lagoon Ceylon Cemetery Ceylon Ceylon Gathered material for Several Simultaneous Husbands (unpublished) in Pakistan,India, and Ceylon The Fon and His Hundred Wives published
• 1951 - 1970 : Traveled widely throughout United States, lecturing on travel, African customs, and suffrage work
• 1954: Attended University of Chicago summer session classes to finish bachelor's degree (Class of 1918)
• 1957: Western Africa Western Africa Western Theological Seminary Historical Marker Western Military Academy (historical) Best Western Americana Old Northwestern Mill (historical) Western Lumber and Grain Company Elevator (historical) Best Western Americania Western Reserve Historical Society Museum Best Western American Heritage Western High School (historical) District 8, Westernport (historical) Great Western Iron Furnace (historical) Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Western Regional Medical Center North Western University (historical) Western Nebraska Mexican American Historical Museum Best Western Of Hurricane Mill Best Western American Heritage Western Spar Company Spur (historical) Exploring Southwestern Minnesota Historical Marker Western District (historical) Best Western Erica Western Mineral Camp (historical) Western Michigan University Historical Marker South Africa Republic of South Africa Travel in Western Africa and South Africa
• 1963 - 1970 : New School for Social Research: lecturer (also audited classes)
• 1965: Africa Africa Universal African Church Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church Mount Tabor African Methodist Episcopal Cemetery Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church Gaines Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church Saint Marks African Methodist Episcopal Church Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church First African Baptist Church AFRICAMAR Aparthotel Walls Temple African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church African Union Bethel Church (historical) Punta Africana Big African Lake Pennsylvania Avenue African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Zion Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church Christian Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church Salem African Methodist Episcopal Church Duryee Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church Saint Thomas African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Rush African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Israel Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church Saint Lukes African Methodist Episcopal Church France Republic of France Gathered material in Africa and France for unpublished books Africa's First Ladies and African Women: The Key to the Continent
• 1971: Sued Children's Television Workshop for copyright infringement of My Mother Is the Most Beautiful Woman in the World
• 1973: Recorded oral history as part of University of California's Oral History Project
• 1978: Gave commencement address at Bryn Mawr College
• 1987: Died of pneumonia January 9

From the guide to the Papers of Rebecca Hourwich Reyher, (inclusive), (bulk), 1877-1988, 1915-1970, (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)