Rodgers, Dorothy, 1909-1992

Dorothy Rodgers (née Feiner; 1906 – 1993) was an American author, inventor, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She was married to the Broadway composer Richard Rodgers, of the famous duo Rodgers and Hammerstein.<p>
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Born in New York City to a Jewish family, Rodgers attended the Horace Mann School and Wellesley College in the late 1920s, where she studied art and interior design. She married Richard Rodgers in 1930.
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She started her own business, Repairs Inc. in 1935 before she invented the Jonny Mop in 1945. Rodgers was also the creator of the Basically Yours dress pattern and the Ideal Toy Company's Turn and Learn storybooks.
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She is the author of several books focusing on interior design and entertaining at home such as 1967's <i>The Home in My Head</i>. In 1970, Rodgers also co-wrote a self-help book with her daughter Mary Rodgers Guettel about mother-daughter relationships and housekeeping called <p>A Word to the Wives</i>. This spawned a related radio show and a regular magazine column for <i>McCall's Magazine</i>, "Of Two Minds."
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Rodgers was also known as an activist, writing letters against antisemitism. She likewise was a noted philanthropist who supported several Jewish cultural organizations.
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Rodgers died in her Manhattan home at the age of 83 in August 1992. She was survived by her two daughters, Mary and Linda.