Ferry, Elinor

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1912
Death 1990

Biographical notes:

Elinor Ferry (1915-1993), journalist, labor organizer, and socialist. Ferry became a sports writer for the Hearst newspaper chain at the age of 16 and shortly after helped organize the Newspaper Guild. From there, she became an assistant to Michael Quill, head of the Transport Workers Union. In the 1950s, Ferry documented the activities of Senator Joseph McCarthy, and worked to aid those who refused to testify on Fifth Amendment grounds before Congressional committees investigating Communism. Ferry was also active in the Independent Socialist Party (ISP), which attempted to unite former Communists with other socialists, from 1958-1960. In the 1960s Ferry worked on an unpublished book-length manuscript on Whittaker Chambers and his role in the Alger Hiss case. At one time Ferry was married to George Kirstein, publisher of The Nation .

From the guide to the Elinor Ferry Papers, undated, (Tamiment Library / Wagner Archives)

ca. 1912 b. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

1930's was one of the first female sports reporters (wrote under the name "Betty Moore") for the Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph.

Married to George Kirstein for ten years (her second marriage).

Resided mostly in Mamaroneck, New York.

Secretary of Emergency Civil Liberties Union.

Worked for Steel Workers Organizing Committee.

Died in the mid 1990's.

From the guide to the Papers, 1944-1988, (Harvard Law School Library, Harvard University)

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Subjects:

  • Anti-communist movements
  • Civil rights
  • Communism
  • Political crimes and offenses
  • Socialism
  • Subversive activities
  • Trials (Political crimes and offenses)
  • Women socialists

Occupations:

not available for this record

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