Eleanor Lansing Dulles
Encyclopedia
Eleanor Lansing Dulles was an author, teacher and United States Government employee. She was a member of a diplomatic dynasty which spanned three generations. Her grandfather, John Watson Foster, served as United States Secretary of State
under President Benjamin Harrison
. Her mother's sister was the wife of Robert Lansing
, Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson
. Her oldest brother, John Foster Dulles
, was Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower
, while another brother, Allen Welsh Dulles
, served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
during the Eisenhower and Kennedy
Administrations; Eleanor Lansing Dulles was also a paternal aunt of Roman Catholic Cardinal Avery Dulles.
Eleanor spent 26 years in government service. Although she never reached the Cabinet
-level post that so many of the Dulles men did, her background in economics and her familiarity with European affairs enabled her to fill a number of important State Department positions.
After graduating from Bryn Mawr College
in 1917, she went to France
and spent two years working for refugee relief organizations in Paris
. When World War I
ended she returned to the United States to continue her schooling and eventually received a Ph.D.
in economics
from Harvard University
in 1926. For the next ten years she taught economics at various colleges. As a student and college professor she made many trips to Europe to study and conduct research on European financial matters.
In 1936 Eleanor entered government service. Her first position was at the Social Security Board where she studied the economic aspects of financing the Social Security program. In 1942 she transferred twice. Her first move was to the Board of Economic Warfare
where she spent five months studying various types of international economic matters. Then, in September 1942, she went to the Department of State, where she worked for almost twenty years.
During her first three years at the State Department, Eleanor was involved in post-war economic planning. She helped determine the U.S. position on international financial cooperation, and participated in the Bretton Woods Conference
of 1944 at which the International Monetary Fund
and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
were established. After the end of World War II, Eleanor went to Europe where she became involved in the reconstruction of the Austrian economy. Later, she was hailed as "the Mother of Berlin" for helping to revitalize the City of Berlin
's economy and culture during the 1950s.
In 1949 Eleanor transferred to the German Desk where she took an active interest in the affairs of Berlin. She made many trips to Berlin and was involved in planning the construction of the Berlin Congress Hall and the Berlin Medical Center. Her interest in Germany and Berlin continued even after she left the State Department in 1962. In 1967, she represented the United States at the funeral of Konrad Adenauer
. She also wrote several books describing conditions in Germany.
In 1959 Eleanor transferred from the German Desk to the Office of Intelligence and Research. At the latter post she became involved in a study of economic conditions in underdeveloped countries. As part of the study she traveled extensively in Africa
, Latin America
and South Asia.
Dulles left the State Department in 1962, and returned to teaching; first at Duke University
and then at Georgetown University
. She authored several books on U.S. foreign policy and continued her trips abroad, sometimes as a representative of the U.S. Government.
Eleanor Lansing Dulles married Professor David Simon Blondheim in 1932. Blondheim had been a Medieval Studies fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
, 1926; then became a professor and Romance philologist at Johns Hopkins University
from 1929 to 1932. His specialty was Judeo-Romance, a field that in many ways he invented. David Simon Blondheim committed suicide in 1934. She had two children, David Dulles and Ann Dulles Joor.
Eleanor is buried in Rock Creek Cemetery in District of Columbia, USA.
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
under President Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
. Her mother's sister was the wife of Robert Lansing
Robert Lansing
Robert Lansing served in the position of Legal Advisor to the State Department at the outbreak of World War I where he vigorously advocated against Britain's policy of blockade and in favor of the principles of freedom of the seas and the rights of neutral nations...
, Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
. Her oldest brother, John Foster Dulles
John Foster Dulles
John Foster Dulles served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959. He was a significant figure in the early Cold War era, advocating an aggressive stance against communism throughout the world...
, was Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, while another brother, Allen Welsh Dulles
Allen Welsh Dulles
Allen Welsh Dulles was an American diplomat, lawyer, banker, and public official who became the first civilian and the longest-serving Director of Central Intelligence and a member of the Warren Commission...
, served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
during the Eisenhower and Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
Administrations; Eleanor Lansing Dulles was also a paternal aunt of Roman Catholic Cardinal Avery Dulles.
Eleanor spent 26 years in government service. Although she never reached the Cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
-level post that so many of the Dulles men did, her background in economics and her familiarity with European affairs enabled her to fill a number of important State Department positions.
After graduating from Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
in 1917, she went to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and spent two years working for refugee relief organizations in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. When World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
ended she returned to the United States to continue her schooling and eventually received a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1926. For the next ten years she taught economics at various colleges. As a student and college professor she made many trips to Europe to study and conduct research on European financial matters.
In 1936 Eleanor entered government service. Her first position was at the Social Security Board where she studied the economic aspects of financing the Social Security program. In 1942 she transferred twice. Her first move was to the Board of Economic Warfare
Board of Economic Warfare
The Office of Administrator of Export Control was established in the United States by Presidential Proclamation 2413, July 2, 1940, to administer export licensing provisions of the act of July 2, 1940 . Brigadier General Russell Lamont Maxwell, United States Army, headed up this military entity...
where she spent five months studying various types of international economic matters. Then, in September 1942, she went to the Department of State, where she worked for almost twenty years.
During her first three years at the State Department, Eleanor was involved in post-war economic planning. She helped determine the U.S. position on international financial cooperation, and participated in the Bretton Woods Conference
United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference
The United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, commonly known as the Bretton Woods conference, was a gathering of 730 delegates from all 44 Allied nations at the Mount Washington Hotel, situated in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, to regulate the international monetary and financial order after...
of 1944 at which the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of five institutions that compose the World Bank Group. The IBRD is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by World War II. Now, its mission has expanded to fight...
were established. After the end of World War II, Eleanor went to Europe where she became involved in the reconstruction of the Austrian economy. Later, she was hailed as "the Mother of Berlin" for helping to revitalize the City of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
's economy and culture during the 1950s.
In 1949 Eleanor transferred to the German Desk where she took an active interest in the affairs of Berlin. She made many trips to Berlin and was involved in planning the construction of the Berlin Congress Hall and the Berlin Medical Center. Her interest in Germany and Berlin continued even after she left the State Department in 1962. In 1967, she represented the United States at the funeral of Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer was a German statesman. He was the chancellor of the West Germany from 1949 to 1963. He is widely recognised as a person who led his country from the ruins of World War II to a powerful and prosperous nation that had forged close relations with old enemies France,...
. She also wrote several books describing conditions in Germany.
In 1959 Eleanor transferred from the German Desk to the Office of Intelligence and Research. At the latter post she became involved in a study of economic conditions in underdeveloped countries. As part of the study she traveled extensively in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and South Asia.
Dulles left the State Department in 1962, and returned to teaching; first at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
and then at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
. She authored several books on U.S. foreign policy and continued her trips abroad, sometimes as a representative of the U.S. Government.
Eleanor Lansing Dulles married Professor David Simon Blondheim in 1932. Blondheim had been a Medieval Studies fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
, 1926; then became a professor and Romance philologist at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
from 1929 to 1932. His specialty was Judeo-Romance, a field that in many ways he invented. David Simon Blondheim committed suicide in 1934. She had two children, David Dulles and Ann Dulles Joor.
Eleanor is buried in Rock Creek Cemetery in District of Columbia, USA.
External links
- Eleanor Lansing Dulles Papers at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University
- Papers of Eleanor Lansing Dulles, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
- Eleanor Lansing Dulles Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, George Washington University