Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2015.018.001 |
Object Name |
Book |
Title |
Eve's Tower |
Artist |
Dorrance & Company |
Date |
1961 |
Description |
May Martin Van Wye, a former member of the Ohio General Assembly, wrote this novel in 1961. From the inside jacket cover: "Frances Ellrod, a talented woman lawyer, is divorced from a young ne'er-do-well and thus is challenged to find a new career, a 'life tower.' In the restless postwar 1920's, she is elected to the legislature of a Mid-western state and uneasily pioneers in reform and social legislation amid the vociferous opposition of machine politicians. Her path is long and disillusioning, but . . . she surmounts her personal and political tragedies. A penetrating novel which leads back into the political machinations of forty years ago and forward into a brighter, more hopeful era for both politics and people." The full text of the book can be read at: http://www.ohiochannel.org/MediaLibrary/Media.aspx?fileId=114370 |
Dimensions |
H-8.5 W-5.5 inches |
Material |
Paper/Ink |
Notes |
May Martin Van Wye was born in Brooklyn, New York, and attended various colleges on the East Coast, completing summer course work at Harvard University. She graduated as a teacher and taught kindergarten in the public schools of New York. She moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1912 after marrying Benjamin Van Wye, who was a member of the faculty at the University of Cincinnati. Van Wye's civic activities became centered on Cincinnati and Hamilton County. In Cincinnati,Van Wye was active in general welfare causes, was a member of the Cincinnati Council of National Defense's executive committee and a member of the Board of War Camp Community and Liberty Loan organizations during World War I. Her civic interests also included the Cincinnati Women's Club, College Club, Association of University Women, League of Women Voters, and National Republican League. She was active in the Republican party, which led to her being nominated to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1922- the first opportunity women had to run for office in the Ohio General Assembly. May Martin Van Wye introduced House Bill 18, relating to the charging of fees to students at municipal universities, as well as House Bill 459, which provided for the construction, furnishing and maintenance of county library buildings. Both bills were enacted into law. Van Wye also served as a member of the House Finance Committee and the House Committee on Universities and Colleges. Van Wye served three terms in the Ohio House of Representatives, and one term in the state Senate. She lost her next bid for office in the Democratic sweep in 1930. In 1961, at age 83, she published her first novel, "Eve's Tower," which centers on a pioneering state senator in an unnamed Mid-western state, her role in the workings of state government, and the reception she received from her male peers in the 1920s. While the fictional heroine is not May Martin Van Wye, the experiences she writes about are clearly her own. |
Provenance |
A staff member from Ohio Government Television purchased this book on ebay for work on the Ohio Statehouse Ladies Gallery. OGT transferred ownership to the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board in 2015. The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board took over the care of the Statehouse and its collections in 1988. |
People |
Van Wye, May Martin 1879-1968 |
Search Terms |
Ohio House of Representatives Ohio Senate Ohio Statehouse |
Subjects |
Legislators Political activity Politics & government Women's suffrage |