GERI M. JOSEPH:

Geri M. Joseph, was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 19, 1923. She was one of three children born to Sam and Edith Mack. Joseph studied journalism and political science at the University of Minnesota where she graduated magna cum laude in 1946. She was one the first women to be hired as an editor of the university newspaper, The Minnesota Daily.

Joseph worked as a staff writer at the Minneapolis Tribune from 1946 until March 1953. Specializing in health, education, and welfare reporting she won five American Newspaper Guild Awards and a Distinguished Service Award for Writing from the Minnesota Junior Chamber of Commerce. In 1952 she was the first woman recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Distinguished Service in Journalism. She was a contributing editor and columnist for the newspaper from 1972-1978.

As a long time activist in Democratic politics Joseph was a speech writer for Hubert H. Humphrey's 1948 Minneapolis mayoral campaign and worked on the 1956 presidential campaign of Adlai Stevenson. She achieved prominence in the Democratic Party during the 1960s and 1970s and held offices in the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) and the Democratic National Committee. She served as Minnesota DFL state chairwoman (1958-1960), a member of the Democratic National Committee (1960-1972), and Chairwoman of Women's Activities for the Democratic National Committee.

In 1978 Joseph was named United States Ambassador to the Netherlands, a post she held until 1981. From 1983 to 1993 she was on the staff of the Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Throughout her career Joseph served as a volunteer with numerous civic and private organizations. She was a member of President Kennedy's Commission on Youth Employment (1962-1963), President Johnson's Commission on Income Maintenance Programs (1967-1969), and President Carter's Commission on Mental Health (1977). She was a director on numerous civic and business boards including Honeywell, the George A. Hormel Company, Northwestern National Bank, and Northwestern Bell Telephone Company. She also served as a member of the advisory council of the National Institute of Mental Health (1962-1967) and as president of the National Association for Mental Health (1968-1969).

Joseph's first marriage was to David Hoffner and the couple had a daughter, Shelley. In 1953 she married Burton Joseph, the president of I. S. Joseph Company, and they had two sons, Ira and Scott.

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These documents are organized into the following sections:

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Geri M. Joseph Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession numbers: 14,167; 15,300; 16,850; 16,988

Processing Information:

Processed by: Frank Hennessy, March 2000.

Additions by: David B. Peterson, June 2014.

Catalog ID number: 990017117520104294

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Geri Joseph's activities in the Democratic Party began in 1956 when she served as chairwoman of the Minnesota Stevenson for President Committee, followed by service as Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor state chairwoman (1958-1960) and as Minnesota DFL National Committeewoman (1960-1972). As a member of the Executive Committee of Democratic National Committee (1960-1971) she was elected as its vice-chair and director of women's activities (1968-1970). Materials document Joseph's service while holding these posts including her activities at the 1960 and 1964 Democratic National Conventions, her leadership role in the 1968 presidential campaign, and her work in promoting women's participation in politics.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Jewish women -- Minnesota.

Jews in public life -- Minnesota.

Mental health -- Minnesota.

Mental health -- United States.

Political campaigns -- United States.

Political conventions -- United States -- 1968.

Sigma Delta Chi Awards for Distinguished Service in Journalism.

Women -- Political activity -- Minnesota.

Women diplomats -- United States.

Women journalists -- Minnesota.

Persons:

Anderson, Eugenie M. (Eugenie Moore), 1909-1997, author.

Brown, Muriel Buck Humphrey, author.

Humphrey, Hubert H. (Hubert Horatio), 1911-1978, author.

Organizations:

Brookings Study Group on Arab-Israeli Peace.

Committee to Encourage Women to Seek Political Office.

Democratic National Committee (U.S.)

Democratic Party (U.S.)

Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund.

Minnesota. Attorney General’s Task Force on Child Abuse within the Family.

Minnesota. Legislature. Minnesota Tax Study Commission.

Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

National Association for Mental Health.

Netherlands-American Bicentennial Commission.

Meetings:

Democratic National Convention (1964 : Atlantic City, N.J.)

Democratic National Convention (1968 : Chicago, Ill.)

Geri Joseph Lectureship on Public Affairs.

Places:

Minnesota -- Politics and government -- 1951-

Netherlands -- Foreign relations -- 1948-.

United States -- Politics and government -- 1945-1989.

Document Types:

Diaries.

Photographs.

Slides (photographs).

Speeches.

Occupations:

Ambassadors -- United States.

Journalists -- Minnesota.

Statesmen -- United States.

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