Houghton, Dorothy Deemer, 1890-1972

Variant names

Dates:

Birth 1890

Death 1947

Birth 1890-03-11

Death 1972-03-15

Biographical notes:

Born in Red Oak, Iowa, and graduated from Wellesley College in 1912, Houghton was married to Hiram Cole Houghton; they had four children. She served as president of the Iowa Federation of Women's Clubs, 1935-1937, and as president of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, 1950-1952. She was a member of the public advisory group of the Refugee Relief Program, 1955-1957, in 1956 served as co-chair of the National Citizens for Eisenhower Program, and in 1957 was appointed to the advisory council of the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization.

From the description of Papers, 1953-1960 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 232007325

Dorothy Deemer Houghton was born in Red Oak, Iowa in 1890. Her mother was an active club-woman and her father a justice on the Iowa Supreme Court. Houghton graduated from Wellesley College and married Hiram Cole Houghton in 1912. She began her public life as a member of the Monday Federated Women's Club in Red Oak, then became president of the Iowa Federation of Women's Clubs, and also the national leader of the General Federation of Women's Clubs. Houghton served on the Iowa Board of Education overseeing the state universities and as president of the Iowa Library Association. An active Republican, she worked in both of Eisenhower's presidential campaigns, co-chairing the 1956 Citizens for Eisenhower committee, and also serving as president of the Electoral College that formally reelected Dwight Eisenhower in 1956. Houghton was an official with Eisenhower's Office of Refugees, Migration, and Voluntary Assistance and the National Civil Defense Adisory Council. She won many awards and honors. Dorothy Deemer Houghton died in 1972.

From the description of Houghton, Dorothy Deemer papers, 1911-1977. (Iowa Sate Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 48215313