Davall, Irene.

Dates:
Active 1971
Active 1987

Biographical notes:

Irene Evans Davall was born in Norfolk, Nebraska, in 1916 to Lulu Evans Compton Michaels. Along with her mother, Davall lived with her maternal grandparents, George W. Evans and Kate Evans, until she reached adulthood. After graduating from Norfolk Business College, she moved to New York City where she held several secretarial positions, including serving as a private secretary to Bennett Cerf at Random House and as private assistant to Sir Julian Huxley, Secretary General of UNESCO in Paris. She married Richard Davall, an engineer for the shipping firm US Lines, and the two became active in the civil rights movement. Davall's active interest in promoting women's rights occurred in the 1960s while she was volunteering for Planned Parenthood.

Inspired by her volunteer work, late in 1971 Davall left her secretarial position at the New York Port Authority and became the national coordinator of the Feminist Party. She organized Feminist Party chapters (primarily on college campuses), produced a monthly newsletter, and lectured to groups about various feminist issues, including the Equal Rights Amendment, women's rights in divorce, the decriminalization of prostitution, and abortion rights. She worked closely with Florynce Kennedy, helping her publicize a lawsuit against the Catholic Church for its stance on abortion, and supporting Shirley Chisholm's campaign for president. Davall traveled to India, Yugoslavia, Portugal, Mexico, and various countries in Africa to investigate the condition of women. Throughout the 1970s, she wrote a column, "The Liberated Woman," which was syndicated in local newspapers. Davall died in New York City in May 2000.

From the description of Papers of Irene Davall, 1971-1987. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 424524735

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Subjects:

  • Divorced women
  • Feminism
  • International Women's Year, 1975
  • Married women
  • Sex discrimination against women
  • Women
  • Women's rights

Occupations:

not available for this record

Places:

  • United States (as recorded)

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