New Jersey Federation of Business and Professional Women Records

Foundation The New Jersey Federation of Business and Professional Women (NJBPW) was founded on May 30, 1919. The Trenton Business and Professional Women's Club, the first such club in the state, took the lead in organizing the initial meeting. As well as members of the Trenton Club, the founders included representatives of various types of professional women's clubs, such as the Philanti Club of Paterson, the Young Women's Club of Orange, the Girls Service Club of Jersey City, the Business Girls Club of Camden, and others. 1 The establishment of the New Jersey Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, as it was originally known, was part of a national movement to create an organization of white collar working women. This movement arose out of the need to mobilize business and professional women during the First World War. In 1917, the U.S. War Department established a Women's War Council, made up of leaders of the Young Women's Christian Association, to collect data on working women in each state, which found that scattered local organizations already existed. As a result of the survey, the War Department allocated $65,000 to create a national organization. In May 1918, about one hundred women met in New York for a two-day planning meeting, the result of which was the creation of a new organization known as the National Business Women's Committee, made up of 25 women representing various clubs and organizations. Lena Madesin Phillips, the newly-arrived Secretary of the National Board of the YWCA, who had expressed a desire to work among business and professional women, was chosen as executive secretary. Although the Armistice was signed before Phillips could begin her new duties, the War Department authorized the continuing funding of the project as valuable to post-war society. Under Phillips' leadership, the Committee divided the country into five districts, put an organizer in charge of each one, and drafted a sample constitution. In March 1919, the Committee recommended that state federations be established, and delegates met in St. Louis in July to form a permanent organization. While the New Jersey federation's role in the founding convention is unclear, among the delegates was Louise Connelly, a museum curator from New Jersey, and attorney Paula Laddey, also of New Jersey, who became the first national federation treasurer and was one of the designers of the national federation's constitution. Lena Madesin Phillips continued as executive secretary of the new organization. 2 The purpose of the New Jersey Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, as expressed in the earliest extant example of the state constitution, was:

to promote the interests of Business and Professional Women; to secure beneficial legislation for women, to encourage co-operative efforts among women and an inter change of ideas; to gather and distribute information relative to vocational opportunities and to bring about a great solidarity of feeling among business and professional women throughout the State. 3

The New Jersey Federation of Business and Professional Women (NJBPW) was founded on May 30, 1919. The Trenton Business and Professional Women's Club, the first such club in the state, took the lead in organizing the initial meeting. As well as members of the Trenton Club, the founders included representatives of various types of professional women's clubs, such as the Philanti Club of Paterson, the Young Women's Club of Orange, the Girls Service Club of Jersey City, the Business Girls Club of Camden, and others. 1 The establishment of the New Jersey Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, as it was originally known, was part of a national movement to create an organization of white collar working women. This movement arose out of the need to mobilize business and professional women during the First World War. In 1917, the U.S. War Department established a Women's War Council, made up of leaders of the Young Women's Christian Association, to collect data on working women in each state, which found that scattered local organizations already existed. As a result of the survey, the War Department allocated $65,000 to create a national organization. In May 1918, about one hundred women met in New York for a two-day planning meeting, the result of which was the creation of a new organization known as the National Business Women's Committee, made up of 25 women representing various clubs and organizations. Lena Madesin Phillips, the newly-arrived Secretary of the National Board of the YWCA, who had expressed a desire to work among business and professional women, was chosen as executive secretary. Although the Armistice was signed before Phillips could begin her new duties, the War Department authorized the continuing funding of the project as valuable to post-war society. Under Phillips' leadership, the Committee divided the country into five districts, put an organizer in charge of each one, and drafted a sample constitution. In March 1919, the Committee recommended that state federations be established, and delegates met in St. Louis in July to form a permanent organization. While the New Jersey federation's role in the founding convention is unclear, among the delegates was Louise Connelly, a museum curator from New Jersey, and attorney Paula Laddey, also of New Jersey, who became the first national federation treasurer and was one of the designers of the national federation's constitution. Lena Madesin Phillips continued as executive secretary of the new organization. 2 The purpose of the New Jersey Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, as expressed in the earliest extant example of the state constitution, was:

to promote the interests of Business and Professional Women; to secure beneficial legislation for women, to encourage co-operative efforts among women and an inter change of ideas; to gather and distribute information relative to vocational opportunities and to bring about a great solidarity of feeling among business and professional women throughout the State. 3

In the early years of its existence, the New Jersey federation focused its efforts on the founding of new clubs. In the Charter Day Celebration on November 19, 1923, national federation president Lena Lake Forrest presented charters to the New Brunswick, Princeton, Plainfield, Trenton and Summit clubs. By the annual meeting held in Lakewood in 1926, there were seven local clubs in New Jersey, including members from 50 different businesses and professions, as compared to 15 a few years earlier. At this meeting, dues were raised from 25 to 50 cents per member. During this period, the federation actively raised money for scholarships, contributing to the national Lena Lake Forrest Scholarship Fund, founded in 1923. In 1927, a scholarship and loan fund was established in honor of Mary L. Johnston, state president from 1922 to 1928 and national treasurer. The first recipient was Barbara Milliken, a student at Jackson College in Medford, Massachusetts. The federation also became involved in the first of many legislative campaigns. In 1921, each local club was urged to appoint a committee to study special legislation for women. In that year, the federation joined the New Jersey League of Women Voters and other women's organizations in endorsing the Sheppard Towner Maternity and Infancy Protection Act, which provided federal funds to improve maternal and infancy care. 6 The second decade of the federation's existence began positively with the inauguration, after several false starts, of an annual statewide publication, Chat, which reported on local club news, in 1929. In 1928, the national federation had introduced the yearly observation of National Business Women's Week, which was first celebrated in New Jersey with a proclamation by the state governor in 1930. During Business Women's Week, clubs throughout the country called "national attention to the purposes and achievements of the federation through elaborate community events in each locality." 7 In the late 1920s, the NJBPW followed the lead of the national federation in supporting the cause of international peace. In 1923, at the Portland, Oregon Convention, the national federation declared in favor of the entry of the United States into the World Court. 8 In November 1928, the state federation endorsed the Kellogg-Briand Pact, a multi-lateral treaty by which all signatories renounced war as an instrument of national policy. 9 The New Jersey federation also joined an umbrella organization, the New Jersey branch of the Committee on the Cause and Cure of War, which included ten other state women's organizations. 10 In conjunction with the Committee, the federation contributed $25 for a delegate from New Jersey to attend the national convention, two local conferences were held, programs were suggested and "an institute was held for training in leadership of groups for study of international problems." 11 The national federation had established a Commission on International Relations, which sponsored a series of goodwill tours to meet with business and professional women from other countries. In 1930, Lena Madesin Phillips, who served as national president from 1927 to 1929, founded the International Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs in Geneva, of which the U.S. federation became an affiliate. The economic crisis of the Great Depression, however, led to a change in the federation's direction. In 1931, the national federation adopted a Ten-Year Objective which broadened the organization's mission to include "improving social and economic conditions of everyone to ensure fullest opportunities for development of their varying capacities." 12 On the local level, New Jersey responded with several initiatives. In 1931, the federation lobbied for the Old Age Pension Bill then before the New Jersey Assembly. In 1933, the state federation wrote to the governor urging continuation of the Bureau for Women and Children; only established in 1929, the Bureau had been suspended as a result of the Depression. 13 At the 1933 state convention in Atlantic City, the federation recommended that each club establish an Economic Roundtable in line with the Ten Year Objective. At the convention the following year, the federation resolved to "contribute towards economic rehabilitation by adopting as a major project the re-employment of white collar women." 14 In response, local clubs set up vocational referral bureaus, and worked with local Chambers of Commerce, State Emergency Relief bureaus, businesses and men's service clubs to match applicants with jobs. By May 1934, a total of 178 women were placed in temporary or permanent jobs. 15 During the early 1930s, the federation was divided in its support for protective legislation, measures which limited the hours, set minimum wages, and prohibited night work for women. These laws, which were supported by the majority of working-class women's organizations, were seen as important for protecting women's health and well-being and saving them from exploitation. In 1933, in spite of the opposition of former suffragist Amelia Moorfield, president of the Newark Club, who served as a representative of the Industrial Standards Committee on the state board, the federation passed a resolution opposing any labor legislation which did not equally protect men and women. 16 At the 1937 Biennial Convention, which was held in Atlantic City, the national federation passed a resolution declaring itself opposed to any legislation which protected women only. From this resolution, it naturally followed that the federation would come out in support of the Equal Rights Amendment. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), written by Alice Paul and first introduced in Congress in 1923, was opposed by women's organizations such as the State Federation of Women's Clubs, Consumers League and the League of Women Voters, who feared it would invalidate the protective legislation for which they had fought so hard. In 1937, under the leadership of its new president, attorney and former state assemblywoman May Carty, the NJBPW endorsed the Equal Rights Amendment:

Whereas, this Federation has for the past six annual conventions declared itself as opposed to all discriminatory legislation including so-called "protective legislation" for women, be it therefore resolved that we support the Susan B. Anthony amendment to the Federal constitution and that we instruct our delegates to the National Convention of this action and policy. 17

In 1938, veteran suffragist Mary Philbrook formed the Committee to Eliminate Discrimination against Women (CEDAW,) which included representatives of the New Jersey Women Lawyers Club and NJBPW. CEDAW's objectives were to repeal protective legislation and to secure passage of an ERA to the state constitution. The group drew up two bills, one to amend the minimum wage law by deleting the word woman, and another to repeal the Night Work Law. The NJBPW, which at that time boasted five thousand members, endorsed both bills. Although neither bill was successful, the drive for a state ERA would have important consequences. In late 1940, the New Jersey League of Women Voters was approached by several organizations and individuals to promote the idea of revising the now antiquated 1844 New Jersey State constitution. The movement for revision was inaugurated in February 1941 when League president Lena Anthony Robbins chaired a meeting attended by about 200 representatives of interested groups, including the NJBPW. Unlike the League, however, the NJBPW was not deeply involved in the plans for constitution revision, except as pertained to the Equal Rights Amendment. In spring 1941, Mary Philbrook formed the Women's Consultive Committee on Constitutional Amendments, the sole purpose of which was to incorporate a state ERA into the new constitution. Among the members of this 23-woman committee was NJBPW president Emma Dillon, the first female executive officeholder of the New Jersey State Bar Association. The outbreak of war in December 1941 caused the NJBPW to once again shift its focus. Topics of discussion at the 1942 annual convention included the constitutional legitimacy of Japanese internment, and how the federation could best contribute to the programs of the State Defense Council. Indeed the NJBPW was extremely successful in raising money for the war effort. Through the purchase of war bonds, the federation financed the building of an Air Craft Rescue Boat and hospital airplane, for which it received an award from the U.S. Treasury Department. Women's participation in war work did, however, make the concept of protective legislation seem outdated. NJBPW and CEDAW called for complete repeal of the laws, while the League of Women Voters and Consumers League supported a one year limitation. In spite of the wartime emergency, work on the revision of the New Jersey constitution continued. Between 1942 and early 1944, Mary Philbrook and the Committee on Constitutional Amendments continued to press for the inclusion of an ERA in the revised constitution. When in spring 1944, she learned that the proposal did not include a specific amendment guaranteeing equal rights for women, Philbrook organized the Women's Non-Partisan Committee against the Proposed Revised Constitution. This committee was co-chaired by Emma Dillon and included the president of the Business and Professional Women of Westfield. The committee issued press releases, broadsides, pamphlets, and gave speeches urging women to vote no to the referendum. Emma Dillon agreed with Philbrook but opposed any militant activity, noting that the long-retired Philbrook could spend all of her time on the campaign, while her own members had to spend 90 per cent of their time earning their livings. 19 The referendum was ultimately defeated by a coalition of women's organizations and forces loyal to Democratic Party chairman Frank Hague, who viewed the constitution as partisan and threatening to the power of his local organization. The movement was revived in January 1947, when, in his inaugural address, Governor Alfred E. Driscoll called for revision by Constitutional Convention. Mary Philbrook, now 74, immediately organized the Women's Alliance for Equal Status, which included the NJBPW, the New Jersey Women's Party, the New Jersey Women Lawyers Club and the Organization of Women Legislators of New Jersey. The members submitted a proposed Equal Rights Clause to the Convention:

All persons are by nature free and independent, and have certain natural and unalienable rights among which are those of enjoying life and liberty, acquiring and possessing, and protecting property, and of pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness. The word "persons" shall be construed to "mean men and women, and no distinction shall be created between them in their equal enjoyment of said rights." 20

In the wake of the approval of the new constitution, the federation embarked on an ambitious legislative program. In November 1948, the board pledged to introduce an equal pay for equal work bill in the state legislature; to endeavor to have the No Night Work Law repealed; and to have the Fair Employment Practice Law amended to include the word sex. 23 The Equal Pay for Equal Work bill, which was introduced in the state legislature by assemblywoman Florence Dwyer of the Elizabeth Club, was passed in 1952 and became a model for the federal bill. 24 The New Jersey federation also encouraged the governor to appoint qualified women to governmental posts. 25 This policy was in line with the tactics of the national BPW, which set up its own Roster of Qualified Women, which it sent to the State Department, and encouraged local clubs to do the same. 26 The federation also renewed its support for internationalism in the new post-war world. During the war, a new umbrella organization, the New Jersey Women's Action Committee for a Lasting Peace, was formed with the demise of the Committee on the Cause and Cure of War. Emily Hickman, professor at New Jersey College for Women, active member of the New Brunswick club, and chair of the state federation's international relations committee, served as head of the new organization's education committee. 27 The Women's Action Committee lobbied to have women appointed to posts in international organizations. Although it suspended operations after the death of Hickman in a car accident in 1947, it resumed activity in 1951. The NJBPW also followed the national federation's policy of support for the United Nations and the peaceful resolution of international disputes. 28 In 1949, the New Jersey federation actively opposed the appointment of Judge Dorothy Kenyon to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women because of her known opposition to the ERA. 29 In 1955, Alba Thompson of New Jersey served as United Nations Observer.

The 1950s were years of prosperity for the NJBPW. The federation's legislation committee was active on several fronts. The federation continued to lobby the governor to appoint women to high-level civil service posts. At the same time, concerned with the state's inadequate resources to meet the need for higher education, the federation passed a resolution to support a bond issue for the improvement of the state teachers' colleges. 30 The federation continued to be concerned with all types of legislation that would affect working women. In 1953-1954, it made a study of proposed revisions in the Income Tax Law, and as a result of its findings, lobbied Congress to grant additional deductions to taxpayers with young children, or old or infirm dependents. The federation also sought to have all Civil Service examinations opened to women; in 1958, it wrote in protest when it was discovered that the examination for Inspector of Migrant Labor was not open to women. 31 Throughout the decade, the federation continued to lobby for the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1956, Florence Dwyer was elected to the House of Representatives, where she would serve eight terms. In Congress, she advocated many of the causes supported by the NJBPW, such as equal pay legislation at the federal level. In 1970, with the help of Representative Martha Griffith of Michigan, she brought the Equal Rights Amendment, which had been stalled in committee since 1923, to the floor of the House. The 1950s were also characterized by fund-raising drives and an expansion of program areas. Concerned for the retired members of the state federation, in 1951 a new committee on cooperative homes began to raise money for small-scale housing which would be owned and operated by the federation on a non-profit basis. Originally named the J. Margaret Warner Cooperative Residences, after state president Margaret Warner, in 1955, the name was changed at Warner's request to the Myra A. Blakeslee Building Fund after the former state president. Although by 1960 the fund had raised almost $4000, a special committee to study its growth came to the conclusion that the capital required for such a project was too great, and the money was subsequently returned to the local clubs. 32 A more successful fund-raising venture was the drive to raise money for a national headquarters building. Established in 1931, the campaign languished during the Depression, but was revived in later years with New Jersey leading the drive for funds, contributing 147 per cent of its state quota. During the move of the national headquarters from New York to Washington, D.C. in 1956, Helen Hurd, Dean of Students at University College, the Rutgers evening division, and president of the New Brunswick club, took a leave of absence to serve as executive director of the national federation. Hurd was also one of the founders of the Business and Professional Women's Foundation, incorporated in 1956. 33 In this year, the New Jersey federation presented a portrait of Lena Madesin Phillips to the national headquarters, in recognition of her work for the International Federation. The state federation inaugurated two successful programs during this period. In 1944, the federation established a scholarship to the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in Syracuse, New York for women interested in public administration. The scholarship program, which was matched by the School, earned the New Jersey federation national recognition. In 1955, a program was established whereby the federation awarded a scholarship to three public institutions in the state which were preparing women for business and the professions. After designating three different institutions each year, the federation left them to choose the winners. Following the lead of the national federation, New Jersey embarked on several new program areas during the 1950s. As part of the new women's health area, local clubs studied ageing, mental health, children, accident prevention, and the provision of housing for retired women. The federation also promoted legislation for the mandatory licensing of nurses. 34 In 1951, the federation was awarded a certificate of merit from the Automotive Safety Foundation in recognition of "meritorious action in initiating and continuing a state-wide program stimulating public and official interest in the adoption of uniform traffic laws." 35 Another new program area was Civil Defense. In 1953, the national board issued a Declaration of Principles urging members "to remain alert and to reorganize their programs and efforts to combat communism." 36 In turn, in 1953, the Civil Defense Chairman encouraged local clubs to use the pamphlet Our Own Communists Can Cripple Us as discussion material, adding, however "let's not be witch-hunters but don't let's play into the hands of the Communits [sic]. Think of national security as a vital part of club and community work." 37 During the 1960s, the federation was involved in legislative activity at both the national and state level. In 1962, Florence Dwyer co-sponsored the Equal Pay Bill in the House of Representatives, and it was passed the following year. In 1964, following the policy of the national federation, the NJBPW supported the Civil Rights Act, which went beyond the Equal Pay Act by prohibiting discrimination in hiring and promotion and included "sex" as one of the illegal bases for discrimination. 38At the state level, the federation lobbied for the Equal Credit Act (1962), and for the appointment of a Status of Women Commission by the governor. In August 1964, Doris Hubatka, past-president of the New Jersey club was elected commission chairman. Other club women holding prominent positions during this period were Assemblywoman and later State Senator, Mildred Barry Hughes of the Elizabeth Club, and Katharine Elkus White, the first woman to be elected mayor of a New Jersey city, Red Bank, in 1963. In the 1962 congressional race, Florence Dwyer was challenged by another BPW member, Democrat Lilian Walsh Egolf of Rahway. In June 1968, the state convention passed two important resolutions: they urged the governor to establish a Women's Department within the newly created Department of Community Affairs; and they demanded that the Abortion Study Commission include at least one woman member. 39 The state federation's program expanded into several new areas during this period, many of which reflected an attempt to attract younger women. In 1962-1963, reflecting changing priorities, several new committees were created or renamed: Personal Development, Civic Participation, World Affairs and Public Relations. Personal development dealt "directly with the individual; her personal well-being, health (mental and physical), appearance, charm, opportunities and career...." 40 Civic Participation included a new focus on the problems of water and air pollution, in addition to civil defense; while as part of World Affairs, local clubs were encouraged to plan cultural activities and host members from overseas. In fact, in 1963 New Jersey won a national award for excellence in programming. As part of the new Young Career Woman Program, established in 1963, the club awarded an outstanding woman between the ages of 21 and 26, employed in business or a profession at least a year, a scholarship to attend the national convention. Local clubs were also active in founding Nike and Samothrace clubs for high school and college women respectively. These clubs, named for the elements of the BPW's emblem, were designed to encourage women to become involved in the BPW movement at an early age. In 1970, New Jersey had nine Nike clubs and one Samothrace club (at Drew University). 41 In spite of the New Jersey federation's many successes during the 1960s, signs were already appearing of a weakening membership base. As early as 1949, the national federation identified New Jersey as having one of the lowest proportions of members in the country, as compared to the overall number of women in the state. 42 In the mid-1950s, both the national and state federations became concerned about attrition among members. Although many women joined local Business and Professional Women's clubs, it was hard to retain members, particularly young women. By the 1960s, the problem was becoming more acute. In 1965, the New Jersey federation set up goals for the stabilization and equalization of its membership. "Stabilization" referred to retaining members from the previous year, while "equalization" meant bringing in new members to replace those who did not renew. In fact, in 1967, New Jersey won an award for increasing membership through starting six new clubs in Hoboken, Berkeley Heights, Maplewood, Secaucus, Hightstown and Edison. 43 It is noteworthy that most of these new clubs were in the fast-growing suburbs, while older city clubs such as Plainfield and Newark were losing members, and in Newark's case, disbanding in 1967.

Declining membership became a serious problem in the 1970s. In December 1970, state president Katherine B. Eastburn deplored the loss of 600 members that year and called on clubs to be more inclusive. The problem was nationwide, however. A 1971 study commissioned to mark the 50th anniversary of the national federation found evidence of deterioration and declining membership, while noting that other organizations such as the American Association of University Women, Zonta, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Negro Business and Professional Women showed growth. 44 The federation continued to try to increase and retain members through various schemes including a revamped award system for local clubs successful in attracting members, and a new district-based structure, allowing for more combined meetings and programs. In spite of these difficulties, the NJBPW achieved several of its legislative objectives during the 1970s, such as the repeal of protective legislation in 1971. At the June 1970 state convention, the federation approved a resolution to support legislation implementing the majority report of the New Jersey Commission to Study Statutes Relating to Abortion. This report recommended the legalization of abortion in cases of rape, incest, an underage unmarried mother, a defective fetus, or to preserve the life and health of the mother. The landmark Supreme Court decision Roe vs. Wade in 1972 effectively guaranteed abortion rights at the federal level. The NJPBW renewed its support of reproductive freedom in the early 1990s, however, when various attempts were made to pass restrictive legislation. For example, in 1989, the federation joined a group of 31 organizations pledged to defend the right to choose, and in 1990 was listed in a pro-choice advertisement in the New York Times. 45 In 1972, New Jersey ratified the centerpiece of the BPW's legislative platform, the federal Equal Rights Amendment, after intensive lobbying by the federation and other women's organizations. After ratification, the federation raised money for the national campaign to ratify the ERA in other states, contributing $4672 by 1974. 46 In 1975, the state board declined, however, to align itself with the newly-formed N.J. Coalition for ERA, stating, "Autonomy will project attitudes that will attract segments of the voting populace that will not be reached by the predominantly feminist groups of which the coalition is comprised." 47 In 1977, the federation lobbied against Senator Dunn's effort to rescind New Jersey's ratification of the ERA. By 1982, however, only 35 states had ratified the amendment, three short of the 38 necessary for final ratification. In New Jersey, however, the effort to pass a separate state ERA (rejected by the voters in 1975) led to a rediscovery of the equal rights clause in the New Jersey constitution. In 1977, the NJBPW acted as a Friend of the Court in the case of Peper vs. the Princeton University Board of Trustees. In this case, in which a Princeton employee, Ilene Peper, sued the university over her failure to be promoted, the New Jersey Supreme Court held that the New Jersey constitution was an effective prohibitor of sex discrimination. 48

In the 1980s and 1990s, the NJBPW undertook new legislative and programmatic goals, while grappling with a continuing membership crisis. In addition to the traditional equity and workplace issues, the federation lobbied for legislation related to women's health and welfare. For instance, the 1988-1989 platform supported legislation for affordable health care for all women with a special emphasis on AIDS-related disorders; welfare reform; government-subsidized shelters for the homeless and victims of domestic violence; affordable dependent care centers and services and guaranteed parental leave rights; prevention of child abuse and enforcement of child support payments; and affordable housing. Along with other organizations, the NJBPW lobbied successfully for the Domestic Violence Act of 1990; and was an invited guest at the signing of the Mammography Bill (1991), which required private insurance companies and Health Maintenance Organizations to pay for mammograms. Later the NJBPW lobbied successfully to include a check-off on New Jersey tax returns to contribute to breast cancer research. In 1992, the state federation supported the nationwide campaign for the federal Family and Medical Leave Bill. At the same time, the federation continued to lobby for equity legislation such as the Fair Pay Act of 1994. In that year, the state board passed a resolution that the ERA (which had been re-introduced in Congress in 1987) would be first and foremost of all legislative platform issues. 49 In spite of these successful campaigns, membership continued to decline. The federation introduced several initiatives to attract new members. In 1980, men were allowed to join for the first time, and in 1987, a new category of at-large members was introduced. Other strategies were the formation of membership expansion teams throughout the state, mergers, reforming or relocating old clubs, and relocating meeting places. The federation also introduced new fund-raising schemes, such as fashion shows. In 1985, the New Jersey Federation of Business and Professional Women dropped the antiquated-sounding "clubs" from its name. These strategies were somewhat successful. The Newark BPW, defunct since 1967, was reborn as the Metropolitan BPW, aimed at women who worked in the Newark area; and new clubs were started in previously rural areas which were rapidly being developed-South Somerset, Southern Ocean County and Central Jersey are a few examples. In 1987, the federation opened its first state office in Westfield. However, by 1990 the BPW/USA's Revitalization Action Plan declared "We are at a crisis point in BPW's life. It is time to reevaluate our priorities....We must act now to rebuild our organization from the ground up." 50 The New Jersey federation totaled 1300 members in 1990. Clare E. Wherley, CPA, analyzed some of the causes of the decline in a thoughtful letter to the editor of The Voice of Working Women. She identified a need to reexamine what BPW stood for, noting that before the 1970s, BPW was the organization for working women, while by 1990, many working women's organizations representing specific occupations or special interests were available. 51 To try to streamline the organization, in August 1994, the BPW/USA Board of Directors voted to eliminate the mandatory requirements for local and state standing committees, so clubs could focus their attention on the issues of greatest importance. This suggestion had originated with the Sussex BPW, and made its way through the state federation to the national level. In the winter of 1996, the federation was considering disbanding or at least simplifying the overlaying district structure. Another way in which the federation sought to adapt to a changing society was through expanding its educational programming, with a more direct focus on business. Beginning in the late 1970s, the state federation and districts held seminars such as "Financial Management for Women," and "Stress Management for Business and Professional Women." In 1983, with funding from the national federation, the NJBPW introduced Career Development Awards, scholarships for working women to advance their careers. At the May 1986 convention, the federation established an Educational Council to develop philosophy, guidelines and plans for implementing a training program for working women, with members and an advisory board representing business, education and government. In 1992, the Council conducted a study on what types of workshops and seminars would benefit members the most. The following year, the federation introduced workshops and seminars at state board meetings on topics such as how to choose a business partner, why sales people fail, and networking. Meanwhile, at the local level the popular Personal Development Committee (renamed Individual Development in 1969) sponsored programs on public speaking, debates, personal growth and leadership. 52 Today, although the New Jersey Business and Professional Women closed its state headquarters in 2001, it maintains a web site and virtual office and continues its educational, scholarship, publications and legislative programs in cooperation with the national federation.

The New Jersey Federation of Business and Professional Women (NJBPW) was founded on May 30, 1919. The Trenton Business and Professional Women's Club, the first such club in the state, took the lead in organizing the initial meeting. As well as members of the Trenton Club, the founders included representatives of various types of professional women's clubs, such as the Philanti Club of Paterson, the Young Women's Club of Orange, the Girls Service Club of Jersey City, the Business Girls Club of Camden, and others. 1 The establishment of the New Jersey Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, as it was originally known, was part of a national movement to create an organization of white collar working women. This movement arose out of the need to mobilize business and professional women during the First World War. In 1917, the U.S. War Department established a Women's War Council, made up of leaders of the Young Women's Christian Association, to collect data on working women in each state, which found that scattered local organizations already existed. As a result of the survey, the War Department allocated $65,000 to create a national organization. In May 1918, about one hundred women met in New York for a two-day planning meeting, the result of which was the creation of a new organization known as the National Business Women's Committee, made up of 25 women representing various clubs and organizations. Lena Madesin Phillips, the newly-arrived Secretary of the National Board of the YWCA, who had expressed a desire to work among business and professional women, was chosen as executive secretary. Although the Armistice was signed before Phillips could begin her new duties, the War Department authorized the continuing funding of the project as valuable to post-war society. Under Phillips' leadership, the Committee divided the country into five districts, put an organizer in charge of each one, and drafted a sample constitution. In March 1919, the Committee recommended that state federations be established, and delegates met in St. Louis in July to form a permanent organization. While the New Jersey federation's role in the founding convention is unclear, among the delegates was Louise Connelly, a museum curator from New Jersey, and attorney Paula Laddey, also of New Jersey, who became the first national federation treasurer and was one of the designers of the national federation's constitution. Lena Madesin Phillips continued as executive secretary of the new organization. 2 The purpose of the New Jersey Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, as expressed in the earliest extant example of the state constitution, was:

to promote the interests of Business and Professional Women; to secure beneficial legislation for women, to encourage co-operative efforts among women and an inter change of ideas; to gather and distribute information relative to vocational opportunities and to bring about a great solidarity of feeling among business and professional women throughout the State. 3

In the early years of its existence, the New Jersey federation focused its efforts on the founding of new clubs. In the Charter Day Celebration on November 19, 1923, national federation president Lena Lake Forrest presented charters to the New Brunswick, Princeton, Plainfield, Trenton and Summit clubs. By the annual meeting held in Lakewood in 1926, there were seven local clubs in New Jersey, including members from 50 different businesses and professions, as compared to 15 a few years earlier. At this meeting, dues were raised from 25 to 50 cents per member. During this period, the federation actively raised money for scholarships, contributing to the national Lena Lake Forrest Scholarship Fund, founded in 1923. In 1927, a scholarship and loan fund was established in honor of Mary L. Johnston, state president from 1922 to 1928 and national treasurer. The first recipient was Barbara Milliken, a student at Jackson College in Medford, Massachusetts. The federation also became involved in the first of many legislative campaigns. In 1921, each local club was urged to appoint a committee to study special legislation for women. In that year, the federation joined the New Jersey League of Women Voters and other women's organizations in endorsing the Sheppard Towner Maternity and Infancy Protection Act, which provided federal funds to improve maternal and infancy care. 6 The second decade of the federation's existence began positively with the inauguration, after several false starts, of an annual statewide publication, Chat, which reported on local club news, in 1929. In 1928, the national federation had introduced the yearly observation of National Business Women's Week, which was first celebrated in New Jersey with a proclamation by the state governor in 1930. During Business Women's Week, clubs throughout the country called "national attention to the purposes and achievements of the federation through elaborate community events in each locality." 7 In the late 1920s, the NJBPW followed the lead of the national federation in supporting the cause of international peace. In 1923, at the Portland, Oregon Convention, the national federation declared in favor of the entry of the United States into the World Court. 8 In November 1928, the state federation endorsed the Kellogg-Briand Pact, a multi-lateral treaty by which all signatories renounced war as an instrument of national policy. 9 The New Jersey federation also joined an umbrella organization, the New Jersey branch of the Committee on the Cause and Cure of War, which included ten other state women's organizations. 10 In conjunction with the Committee, the federation contributed $25 for a delegate from New Jersey to attend the national convention, two local conferences were held, programs were suggested and "an institute was held for training in leadership of groups for study of international problems." 11 The national federation had established a Commission on International Relations, which sponsored a series of goodwill tours to meet with business and professional women from other countries. In 1930, Lena Madesin Phillips, who served as national president from 1927 to 1929, founded the International Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs in Geneva, of which the U.S. federation became an affiliate. The economic crisis of the Great Depression, however, led to a change in the federation's direction. In 1931, the national federation adopted a Ten-Year Objective which broadened the organization's mission to include "improving social and economic conditions of everyone to ensure fullest opportunities for development of their varying capacities." 12 On the local level, New Jersey responded with several initiatives. In 1931, the federation lobbied for the Old Age Pension Bill then before the New Jersey Assembly. In 1933, the state federation wrote to the governor urging continuation of the Bureau for Women and Children; only established in 1929, the Bureau had been suspended as a result of the Depression. 13 At the 1933 state convention in Atlantic City, the federation recommended that each club establish an Economic Roundtable in line with the Ten Year Objective. At the convention the following year, the federation resolved to "contribute towards economic rehabilitation by adopting as a major project the re-employment of white collar women." 14 In response, local clubs set up vocational referral bureaus, and worked with local Chambers of Commerce, State Emergency Relief bureaus, businesses and men's service clubs to match applicants with jobs. By May 1934, a total of 178 women were placed in temporary or permanent jobs. 15 During the early 1930s, the federation was divided in its support for protective legislation, measures which limited the hours, set minimum wages, and prohibited night work for women. These laws, which were supported by the majority of working-class women's organizations, were seen as important for protecting women's health and well-being and saving them from exploitation. In 1933, in spite of the opposition of former suffragist Amelia Moorfield, president of the Newark Club, who served as a representative of the Industrial Standards Committee on the state board, the federation passed a resolution opposing any labor legislation which did not equally protect men and women. 16 At the 1937 Biennial Convention, which was held in Atlantic City, the national federation passed a resolution declaring itself opposed to any legislation which protected women only. From this resolution, it naturally followed that the federation would come out in support of the Equal Rights Amendment. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), written by Alice Paul and first introduced in Congress in 1923, was opposed by women's organizations such as the State Federation of Women's Clubs, Consumers League and the League of Women Voters, who feared it would invalidate the protective legislation for which they had fought so hard. In 1937, under the leadership of its new president, attorney and former state assemblywoman May Carty, the NJBPW endorsed the Equal Rights Amendment:

Whereas, this Federation has for the past six annual conventions declared itself as opposed to all discriminatory legislation including so-called "protective legislation" for women, be it therefore resolved that we support the Susan B. Anthony amendment to the Federal constitution and that we instruct our delegates to the National Convention of this action and policy. 17

In 1938, veteran suffragist Mary Philbrook formed the Committee to Eliminate Discrimination against Women (CEDAW,) which included representatives of the New Jersey Women Lawyers Club and NJBPW. CEDAW's objectives were to repeal protective legislation and to secure passage of an ERA to the state constitution. The group drew up two bills, one to amend the minimum wage law by deleting the word woman, and another to repeal the Night Work Law. The NJBPW, which at that time boasted five thousand members, endorsed both bills. Although neither bill was successful, the drive for a state ERA would have important consequences. In late 1940, the New Jersey League of Women Voters was approached by several organizations and individuals to promote the idea of revising the now antiquated 1844 New Jersey State constitution. The movement for revision was inaugurated in February 1941 when League president Lena Anthony Robbins chaired a meeting attended by about 200 representatives of interested groups, including the NJBPW. Unlike the League, however, the NJBPW was not deeply involved in the plans for constitution revision, except as pertained to the Equal Rights Amendment. In spring 1941, Mary Philbrook formed the Women's Consultive Committee on Constitutional Amendments, the sole purpose of which was to incorporate a state ERA into the new constitution. Among the members of this 23-woman committee was NJBPW president Emma Dillon, the first female executive officeholder of the New Jersey State Bar Association. The outbreak of war in December 1941 caused the NJBPW to once again shift its focus. Topics of discussion at the 1942 annual convention included the constitutional legitimacy of Japanese internment, and how the federation could best contribute to the programs of the State Defense Council. Indeed the NJBPW was extremely successful in raising money for the war effort. Through the purchase of war bonds, the federation financed the building of an Air Craft Rescue Boat and hospital airplane, for which it received an award from the U.S. Treasury Department. Women's participation in war work did, however, make the concept of protective legislation seem outdated. NJBPW and CEDAW called for complete repeal of the laws, while the League of Women Voters and Consumers League supported a one year limitation. In spite of the wartime emergency, work on the revision of the New Jersey constitution continued. Between 1942 and early 1944, Mary Philbrook and the Committee on Constitutional Amendments continued to press for the inclusion of an ERA in the revised constitution. When in spring 1944, she learned that the proposal did not include a specific amendment guaranteeing equal rights for women, Philbrook organized the Women's Non-Partisan Committee against the Proposed Revised Constitution. This committee was co-chaired by Emma Dillon and included the president of the Business and Professional Women of Westfield. The committee issued press releases, broadsides, pamphlets, and gave speeches urging women to vote no to the referendum. Emma Dillon agreed with Philbrook but opposed any militant activity, noting that the long-retired Philbrook could spend all of her time on the campaign, while her own members had to spend 90 per cent of their time earning their livings. 19 The referendum was ultimately defeated by a coalition of women's organizations and forces loyal to Democratic Party chairman Frank Hague, who viewed the constitution as partisan and threatening to the power of his local organization. The movement was revived in January 1947, when, in his inaugural address, Governor Alfred E. Driscoll called for revision by Constitutional Convention. Mary Philbrook, now 74, immediately organized the Women's Alliance for Equal Status, which included the NJBPW, the New Jersey Women's Party, the New Jersey Women Lawyers Club and the Organization of Women Legislators of New Jersey. The members submitted a proposed Equal Rights Clause to the Convention:

All persons are by nature free and independent, and have certain natural and unalienable rights among which are those of enjoying life and liberty, acquiring and possessing, and protecting property, and of pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness. The word "persons" shall be construed to "mean men and women, and no distinction shall be created between them in their equal enjoyment of said rights." 20

In the wake of the approval of the new constitution, the federation embarked on an ambitious legislative program. In November 1948, the board pledged to introduce an equal pay for equal work bill in the state legislature; to endeavor to have the No Night Work Law repealed; and to have the Fair Employment Practice Law amended to include the word sex. 23 The Equal Pay for Equal Work bill, which was introduced in the state legislature by assemblywoman Florence Dwyer of the Elizabeth Club, was passed in 1952 and became a model for the federal bill. 24 The New Jersey federation also encouraged the governor to appoint qualified women to governmental posts. 25 This policy was in line with the tactics of the national BPW, which set up its own Roster of Qualified Women, which it sent to the State Department, and encouraged local clubs to do the same. 26

The federation also renewed its support for internationalism in the new post-war world. During the war, a new umbrella organization, the New Jersey Women's Action Committee for a Lasting Peace, was formed with the demise of the Committee on the Cause and Cure of War. Emily Hickman, professor at New Jersey College for Women, active member of the New Brunswick club, and chair of the state federation's international relations committee, served as head of the new organization's education committee. 27 The Women's Action Committee lobbied to have women appointed to posts in international organizations. Although it suspended operations after the death of Hickman in a car accident in 1947, it resumed activity in 1951. The NJBPW also followed the national federation's policy of support for the United Nations and the peaceful resolution of international disputes. 28 In 1949, the New Jersey federation actively opposed the appointment of Judge Dorothy Kenyon to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women because of her known opposition to the ERA. 29 In 1955, Alba Thompson of New Jersey served as United Nations Observer.

The 1950s were years of prosperity for the NJBPW. The federation's legislation committee was active on several fronts. The federation continued to lobby the governor to appoint women to high-level civil service posts. At the same time, concerned with the state's inadequate resources to meet the need for higher education, the federation passed a resolution to support a bond issue for the improvement of the state teachers' colleges. 30 The federation continued to be concerned with all types of legislation that would affect working women. In 1953-1954, it made a study of proposed revisions in the Income Tax Law, and as a result of its findings, lobbied Congress to grant additional deductions to taxpayers with young children, or old or infirm dependents. The federation also sought to have all Civil Service examinations opened to women; in 1958, it wrote in protest when it was discovered that the examination for Inspector of Migrant Labor was not open to women. 31

Throughout the decade, the federation continued to lobby for the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1956, Florence Dwyer was elected to the House of Representatives, where she would serve eight terms. In Congress, she advocated many of the causes supported by the NJBPW, such as equal pay legislation at the federal level. In 1970, with the help of Representative Martha Griffith of Michigan, she brought the Equal Rights Amendment, which had been stalled in committee since 1923, to the floor of the House.

The 1950s were also characterized by fund-raising drives and an expansion of program areas. Concerned for the retired members of the state federation, in 1951 a new committee on cooperative homes began to raise money for small-scale housing which would be owned and operated by the federation on a non-profit basis. Originally named the J. Margaret Warner Cooperative Residences, after state president Margaret Warner, in 1955, the name was changed at Warner's request to the Myra A. Blakeslee Building Fund after the former state president. Although by 1960 the fund had raised almost $4000, a special committee to study its growth came to the conclusion that the capital required for such a project was too great, and the money was subsequently returned to the local clubs. 32

A more successful fund-raising venture was the drive to raise money for a national headquarters building. Established in 1931, the campaign languished during the Depression, but was revived in later years with New Jersey leading the drive for funds, contributing 147 per cent of its state quota. During the move of the national headquarters from New York to Washington, D.C. in 1956, Helen Hurd, Dean of Students at University College, the Rutgers evening division, and president of the New Brunswick club, took a leave of absence to serve as executive director of the national federation. Hurd was also one of the founders of the Business and Professional Women's Foundation, incorporated in 1956. 33 In this year, the New Jersey federation presented a portrait of Lena Madesin Phillips to the national headquarters, in recognition of her work for the International Federation.

The state federation inaugurated two successful programs during this period. In 1944, the federation established a scholarship to the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in Syracuse, New York for women interested in public administration. The scholarship program, which was matched by the School, earned the New Jersey federation national recognition. In 1955, a program was established whereby the federation awarded a scholarship to three public institutions in the state which were preparing women for business and the professions. After designating three different institutions each year, the federation left them to choose the winners.

Following the lead of the national federation, New Jersey embarked on several new program areas during the 1950s. As part of the new women's health area, local clubs studied ageing, mental health, children, accident prevention, and the provision of housing for retired women. The federation also promoted legislation for the mandatory licensing of nurses. 34 In 1951, the federation was awarded a certificate of merit from the Automotive Safety Foundation in recognition of "meritorious action in initiating and continuing a state-wide program stimulating public and official interest in the adoption of uniform traffic laws." 35 Another new program area was Civil Defense. In 1953, the national board issued a Declaration of Principles urging members "to remain alert and to reorganize their programs and efforts to combat communism." 36 In turn, in 1953, the Civil Defense Chairman encouraged local clubs to use the pamphlet Our Own Communists Can Cripple Us as discussion material, adding, however "let's not be witch-hunters but don't let's play into the hands of the Communits [sic]. Think of national security as a vital part of club and community work." 37

During the 1960s, the federation was involved in legislative activity at both the national and state level. In 1962, Florence Dwyer co-sponsored the Equal Pay Bill in the House of Representatives, and it was passed the following year. In 1964, following the policy of the national federation, the NJBPW supported the Civil Rights Act, which went beyond the Equal Pay Act by prohibiting discrimination in hiring and promotion and included "sex" as one of the illegal bases for discrimination. 38At the state level, the federation lobbied for the Equal Credit Act (1962), and for the appointment of a Status of Women Commission by the governor. In August 1964, Doris Hubatka, past-president of the New Jersey club was elected commission chairman. Other club women holding prominent positions during this period were Assemblywoman and later State Senator, Mildred Barry Hughes of the Elizabeth Club, and Katharine Elkus White, the first woman to be elected mayor of a New Jersey city, Red Bank, in 1963. In the 1962 congressional race, Florence Dwyer was challenged by another BPW member, Democrat Lilian Walsh Egolf of Rahway. In June 1968, the state convention passed two important resolutions: they urged the governor to establish a Women's Department within the newly created Department of Community Affairs; and they demanded that the Abortion Study Commission include at least one woman member. 39

The state federation's program expanded into several new areas during this period, many of which reflected an attempt to attract younger women. In 1962-1963, reflecting changing priorities, several new committees were created or renamed: Personal Development, Civic Participation, World Affairs and Public Relations. Personal development dealt "directly with the individual; her personal well-being, health (mental and physical), appearance, charm, opportunities and career...." 40 Civic Participation included a new focus on the problems of water and air pollution, in addition to civil defense; while as part of World Affairs, local clubs were encouraged to plan cultural activities and host members from overseas. In fact, in 1963 New Jersey won a national award for excellence in programming. As part of the new Young Career Woman Program, established in 1963, the club awarded an outstanding woman between the ages of 21 and 26, employed in business or a profession at least a year, a scholarship to attend the national convention. Local clubs were also active in founding Nike and Samothrace clubs for high school and college women respectively. These clubs, named for the elements of the BPW's emblem, were designed to encourage women to become involved in the BPW movement at an early age. In 1970, New Jersey had nine Nike clubs and one Samothrace club (at Drew University). 41

In spite of the New Jersey federation's many successes during the 1960s, signs were already appearing of a weakening membership base. As early as 1949, the national federation identified New Jersey as having one of the lowest proportions of members in the country, as compared to the overall number of women in the state. 42 In the mid-1950s, both the national and state federations became concerned about attrition among members. Although many women joined local Business and Professional Women's clubs, it was hard to retain members, particularly young women. By the 1960s, the problem was becoming more acute. In 1965, the New Jersey federation set up goals for the stabilization and equalization of its membership. "Stabilization" referred to retaining members from the previous year, while "equalization" meant bringing in new members to replace those who did not renew. In fact, in 1967, New Jersey won an award for increasing membership through starting six new clubs in Hoboken, Berkeley Heights, Maplewood, Secaucus, Hightstown and Edison. 43 It is noteworthy that most of these new clubs were in the fast-growing suburbs, while older city clubs such as Plainfield and Newark were losing members, and in Newark's case, disbanding in 1967.

Declining membership became a serious problem in the 1970s. In December 1970, state president Katherine B. Eastburn deplored the loss of 600 members that year and called on clubs to be more inclusive. The problem was nationwide, however. A 1971 study commissioned to mark the 50th anniversary of the national federation found evidence of deterioration and declining membership, while noting that other organizations such as the American Association of University Women, Zonta, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Negro Business and Professional Women showed growth. 44 The federation continued to try to increase and retain members through various schemes including a revamped award system for local clubs successful in attracting members, and a new district-based structure, allowing for more combined meetings and programs.

In spite of these difficulties, the NJBPW achieved several of its legislative objectives during the 1970s, such as the repeal of protective legislation in 1971. At the June 1970 state convention, the federation approved a resolution to support legislation implementing the majority report of the New Jersey Commission to Study Statutes Relating to Abortion. This report recommended the legalization of abortion in cases of rape, incest, an underage unmarried mother, a defective fetus, or to preserve the life and health of the mother. The landmark Supreme Court decision Roe vs. Wade in 1972 effectively guaranteed abortion rights at the federal level. The NJPBW renewed its support of reproductive freedom in the early 1990s, however, when various attempts were made to pass restrictive legislation. For example, in 1989, the federation joined a group of 31 organizations pledged to defend the right to choose, and in 1990 was listed in a pro-choice advertisement in the New York Times. 45

In 1972, New Jersey ratified the centerpiece of the BPW's legislative platform, the federal Equal Rights Amendment, after intensive lobbying by the federation and other women's organizations. After ratification, the federation raised money for the national campaign to ratify the ERA in other states, contributing $4672 by 1974. 46 In 1975, the state board declined, however, to align itself with the newly-formed N.J. Coalition for ERA, stating, "Autonomy will project attitudes that will attract segments of the voting populace that will not be reached by the predominantly feminist groups of which the coalition is comprised." 47 In 1977, the federation lobbied against Senator Dunn's effort to rescind New Jersey's ratification of the ERA. By 1982, however, only 35 states had ratified the amendment, three short of the 38 necessary for final ratification. In New Jersey, however, the effort to pass a separate state ERA (rejected by the voters in 1975) led to a rediscovery of the equal rights clause in the New Jersey constitution. In 1977, the NJBPW acted as a Friend of the Court in the case of Peper vs. the Princeton University Board of Trustees. In this case, in which a Princeton employee, Ilene Peper, sued the university over her failure to be promoted, the New Jersey Supreme Court held that the New Jersey constitution was an effective prohibitor of sex discrimination. 48

In the 1980s and 1990s, the NJBPW undertook new legislative and programmatic goals, while grappling with a continuing membership crisis. In addition to the traditional equity and workplace issues, the federation lobbied for legislation related to women's health and welfare. For instance, the 1988-1989 platform supported legislation for affordable health care for all women with a special emphasis on AIDS-related disorders; welfare reform; government-subsidized shelters for the homeless and victims of domestic violence; affordable dependent care centers and services and guaranteed parental leave rights; prevention of child abuse and enforcement of child support payments; and affordable housing. Along with other organizations, the NJBPW lobbied successfully for the Domestic Violence Act of 1990; and was an invited guest at the signing of the Mammography Bill (1991), which required private insurance companies and Health Maintenance Organizations to pay for mammograms. Later the NJBPW lobbied successfully to include a check-off on New Jersey tax returns to contribute to breast cancer research. In 1992, the state federation supported the nationwide campaign for the federal Family and Medical Leave Bill. At the same time, the federation continued to lobby for equity legislation such as the Fair Pay Act of 1994. In that year, the state board passed a resolution that the ERA (which had been re-introduced in Congress in 1987) would be first and foremost of all legislative platform issues. 49

In spite of these successful campaigns, membership continued to decline. The federation introduced several initiatives to attract new members. In 1980, men were allowed to join for the first time, and in 1987, a new category of at-large members was introduced. Other strategies were the formation of membership expansion teams throughout the state, mergers, reforming or relocating old clubs, and relocating meeting places. The federation also introduced new fund-raising schemes, such as fashion shows. In 1985, the New Jersey Federation of Business and Professional Women dropped the antiquated-sounding "clubs" from its name. These strategies were somewhat successful. The Newark BPW, defunct since 1967, was reborn as the Metropolitan BPW, aimed at women who worked in the Newark area; and new clubs were started in previously rural areas which were rapidly being developed-South Somerset, Southern Ocean County and Central Jersey are a few examples. In 1987, the federation opened its first state office in Westfield.

However, by 1990 the BPW/USA's Revitalization Action Plan declared "We are at a crisis point in BPW's life. It is time to reevaluate our priorities....We must act now to rebuild our organization from the ground up." 50 The New Jersey federation totaled 1300 members in 1990. Clare E. Wherley, CPA, analyzed some of the causes of the decline in a thoughtful letter to the editor of The Voice of Working Women. She identified a need to reexamine what BPW stood for, noting that before the 1970s, BPW was the organization for working women, while by 1990, many working women's organizations representing specific occupations or special interests were available. 51 To try to streamline the organization, in August 1994, the BPW/USA Board of Directors voted to eliminate the mandatory requirements for local and state standing committees, so clubs could focus their attention on the issues of greatest importance. This suggestion had originated with the Sussex BPW, and made its way through the state federation to the national level. In the winter of 1996, the federation was considering disbanding or at least simplifying the overlaying district structure.

Another way in which the federation sought to adapt to a changing society was through expanding its educational programming, with a more direct focus on business. Beginning in the late 1970s, the state federation and districts held seminars such as "Financial Management for Women," and "Stress Management for Business and Professional Women." In 1983, with funding from the national federation, the NJBPW introduced Career Development Awards, scholarships for working women to advance their careers. At the May 1986 convention, the federation established an Educational Council to develop philosophy, guidelines and plans for implementing a training program for working women, with members and an advisory board representing business, education and government. In 1992, the Council conducted a study on what types of workshops and seminars would benefit members the most. The following year, the federation introduced workshops and seminars at state board meetings on topics such as how to choose a business partner, why sales people fail, and networking. Meanwhile, at the local level the popular Personal Development Committee (renamed Individual Development in 1969) sponsored programs on public speaking, debates, personal growth and leadership. 52 Today, although the New Jersey Business and Professional Women closed its state headquarters in 2001, it maintains a web site and virtual office and continues its educational, scholarship, publications and legislative programs in cooperation with the national federation.

1919-1920

M. Dorothy Eby

1920-1922

Mary G. Cummings (Dr.)

1922-1928

Mary L. Johnston Shattuck

1928-1930

Jane Packard Schirber

1930-1932

Edna R. Portman

1932-1935

Myra Allen Blakeslee

1935-1937

Jessie L. Winkworth Boyer

1937-1939

May M. Carty

1939-1941

Frances A. Britton

1941-1943

Emma Dillon

1943-1946

Marta B. Taylor

1946-1948

Mabel Wells March

1948-1950

J. Margaret Warner

1950-1952

Sally C. Aiken Brewer

1952-1954

Libby E. Sachar (Hon.)

1954-1956

Eileen G. Brady (Hon.)

1956-1958

Roberta L. Halligan

1958-1960

Gertrude Lee

1960-1962

Emma C. McGall

1962-1964

Doris Hubatka

1964-1966

Helen G. Hurd

1966-1968

Charlotte B. McCracken

1968-1969

Mildred McLean

1969-1970

Mary Louise Wetjen

1970-1971

Katharine B. Eastburn

1971-1972

Mildred C. deSimone

1973-1974

Tina E. Adams

1974-1975

Nancy Siracusa

1975-1976

Eleanor R. Steger

1977-1978

Roberta Rossi

1978-1979

Margaret J. Harris

1979-1980

Anita K. Bernstein

1980-1981

Mary M. Gray

1981-1982

Sr. Carmela M. Cristiano

1982-1983

Sophie Petracco

1983-1984

Muriel R. deAzevedo

1984-1985

Ann Weber

1985-1986

Mary E. Haynie

1986-1987

Margaret M. Murray

1987-1988

Sister Mary Alexandrine

1988-1989

Michele F. Plock

1989-1990

Joan A. Buchanan

1990-1991

Rose Sigler

1991-1992

Maryann R. Dorin

1992-1993

Rhoda Obolensky

1993-1994

Alexandra Smorodin

1994-1995

Maureen Plock

1995-1996

Louise Dertinger

1996-1997

Marie Thompson

1997-1999

Patricia Wittek

2000-2002

Linda Worman