Wick, Grace, 1888-1958.

Grace Wick was a right-wing activist who lived in Portland, Oregon from 1927 to 1958. She corresponded with many political figures and collected publications of numerous organizations, primarily those of the far right. Wick opposed U.S. entry in the Second World War and supported the isolationist Mother's movement. A strident anti-Semite, she published and distributed a William Dudley Pelley tract, "Dupes of Judah," with her own introduction, as "A Personal Message to the Congress of the United States."

From the description of Grace Wick papers, 1888-1962 (bulk, 1928-1951). (Oregon Historical Society Research Library). WorldCat record id: 40761315

Grace M. Wick of Portland, Oregon, was a right-wing activist known for her outspokenness and flamboyant behavior. A prolific letter writer, she maintained an extensive correspondence with political figures in Oregon and nationally. Wick ran twice unsuccessfully for Congress in the Third District. In May 1935, she paraded down Broadway in a slogan-covered barrel to protest her lack of employment.

Born in Iowa in 1888, Grace Wick lived in Chicago, New York, and Boston and was a stage actress before moving to Central Point, Oregon, with her husband George Merritt in 1922. Grace Wick began her political activities in Oregon the same year by campaigning for Democrat Walter Pierce for Governor. After her divorce in 1924 and an attempt to start a film career in Hollywood, she returned to Oregon in 1926. Wick campaigned against Pierce in his bid for reelection because of his refusal to stay the 1925 execution of Archie Cody, a relative of Buffalo Bill Cody, for the murder of the sheriff of Harney County. Wick later claimed that a satirical pamphlet, "The Mascot," which she wrote and published, was responsible for Pierce's defeat.

Grace Wick moved to Portland in 1927 and was secretary-treasurer of the Oregon State Women's Smith for President Club in 1928. She ran for Congress in 1934 as a "Progressive Democrat," pledging full support of President Roosevelt and the New Deal. In 1936 she ran as an Independent, after having her name placed in nomination through a convention held in a beer hall. By 1937, having become frustrated with the Democratic party establishment in Oregon, Wick began to cultivate connections with Republican political figures. Her views became increasingly right-wing within the next few years. She chaired the local auxiliary of Sons of Union Veterans, an anti-immigrant organization, and became a strident anti-Semite, disseminating propaganda materials and corresponding with others of similar persuasion. Wick opposed U.S. entry in the Second World War and actively corresponded with leaders of the isolationist Mother's Movement and with congressional opponents of intervention. Wick's activities during the war led to her being questioned by an Army board on suspicion of disloyalty.

In the post-war period, Grace Wick opposed the establishment of the United Nations and U.S. involvement in Korea, while supporting a presidential candidacy for Gen. Douglas MacArthur. In 1951 she became Oregon state chairwoman of the newly formed American Woman's Party, led by Blanche Winters of Detroit, and conducted an unsuccessful petition effort to qualify the party for the Oregon ballot.

From the guide to the Grace Wick Papers, 1888-1962, 1928-1951, (Oregon Historical Society Research Library)