Wise, Pearl Katz, 1901?-

The first woman to be elected to the Cambridge (Mass.) City Council (1955-1963), Wise (1901?-1999) was especially committed to assuring strong neighborhood participation in urban planning. She was active in community affairs, serving as president of the League of Women Voters of Cambridge (1942-1945), and as member of the Cambridge High and Latin PTA (1947), Cambridge School Committee (1949-1955), and the Cambridge Housing Authority, where she supported local tenant organizations. Her husband, Henry Wise, had a long career in labor law and was a major proponent of public housing and urban renewal legislation in Massachusetts. The library at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School was named in her honor in 1983.