Eugenie Mary Ladenburg Davie
Encyclopedia
Eugenie Mary "May" Ladenburg Davie (1895–September 19, 1975) was a noted Republican
activist in New York
and a director of the controversial Pioneer Fund
at the end of her life. She was second wife to influential lawyer Preston Davie
.
founder and was a lifelong activist. Her 1917 affair with Bernard Baruch
was of great interest to Alice Roosevelt Longworth
who monitored the affair "in the name of patriotism," in the words of historian Blanche Wiesen Cook. She once angered pilot Amelia Earhart
by injecting political commentary into a speech introduction.
Davie was on the Republican National Finance Committee, a regent of the National Library of Medicine, a trustee at Adelphi College and Long Island University
; chairwoman of the Robert A. Taft Institute of Government.
A onetime leader of the Landon Volunteers, she was vice president of the American Women's Voluntary Services, Inc. She butted heads with Fiorello La Guardia during World War II
after he told William Fellowes Morgan, Jr.
to dismiss her as an unpaid assistant. She became an active member of the Republican Party and was the head of the Woman’s Auxiliary during Wendell Willkie
’s campaign to unseat Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940. La Guardia's tenure marked the end of the Tammany power in New York, and Davie's political influence gradually faded over the ensuing decades.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
activist in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and a director of the controversial Pioneer Fund
Pioneer Fund
The Pioneer Fund is an American non-profit foundation established in 1937 "to advance the scientific study of heredity and human differences." Currently headed by psychology professor J. Philippe Rushton, the fund states that it focuses on projects it perceives will not be easily funded due to...
at the end of her life. She was second wife to influential lawyer Preston Davie
Preston Davie
Preston Davie was an American lawyer and colonel during World War I. Davie won a Distinguished Service Medal for his efforts...
.
Political activism
Davie was descended from a Tammany HallTammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
founder and was a lifelong activist. Her 1917 affair with Bernard Baruch
Bernard Baruch
Bernard Mannes Baruch was an American financier, stock-market speculator, statesman, and political consultant. After his success in business, he devoted his time toward advising U.S. Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt on economic matters and became a philanthropist.-Early life...
was of great interest to Alice Roosevelt Longworth
Alice Roosevelt Longworth
Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth was the oldest child of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. She was the only child of Roosevelt and his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee....
who monitored the affair "in the name of patriotism," in the words of historian Blanche Wiesen Cook. She once angered pilot Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
by injecting political commentary into a speech introduction.
Davie was on the Republican National Finance Committee, a regent of the National Library of Medicine, a trustee at Adelphi College and Long Island University
Long Island University
Long Island University is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution of higher education in the U.S. state of New York.-History:...
; chairwoman of the Robert A. Taft Institute of Government.
A onetime leader of the Landon Volunteers, she was vice president of the American Women's Voluntary Services, Inc. She butted heads with Fiorello La Guardia during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
after he told William Fellowes Morgan, Jr.
William Fellowes Morgan, Jr.
William Fellowes Morgan, Jr. was the President of the Middle Atlantic Oyster Fisheries in 1925, and was the Commissioner of Public Markets for New York City around 1934 through 1942, for at least eight years. He oversaw the opening of The Bronx Terminal Market in 1935. His father was William...
to dismiss her as an unpaid assistant. She became an active member of the Republican Party and was the head of the Woman’s Auxiliary during Wendell Willkie
Wendell Willkie
Wendell Lewis Willkie was a corporate lawyer in the United States and a dark horse who became the Republican Party nominee for the president in 1940. A member of the liberal wing of the GOP, he crusaded against those domestic policies of the New Deal that he thought were inefficient and...
’s campaign to unseat Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940. La Guardia's tenure marked the end of the Tammany power in New York, and Davie's political influence gradually faded over the ensuing decades.