Nellie Gray (activist)
Nellie Jane Gray | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 24, 1924 Big Spring, Texas |
| Died | August 13, 2012 (aged 88) |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Activist |
| Known for | March for Life |
Nellie Jane Gray (June 24, 1924[1] – August 13, 2012) was an American pro-life activist who founded the annual March for Life in 1974, in response to the Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade, which decriminalized abortion the previous year.
Biography[]
Born in and a native of Big Spring, Texas, and a Roman Catholic convert, she enlisted in the military on June 27, 1944 at Camp Bennett, Texas and served as a corporal in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) during World War II.[2]
She later earned a bachelor's degree in business and a master's in economics from Georgetown University Law School. She was an employee of the federal government for 28 years, working in the Departments of State and Labor, while attending Georgetown University Law School. She found herself practicing law before the U.S. Supreme Court.
After Roe v. Wade, she retired from professional life and became a pro-life activist, beginning with the March for Life.[3] For example, she was an opposition speaker at the 1977 National Women's Conference with Lottie Beth Hobbs, Dr. Mildred Jefferson, Phyllis Schlafly and R.K. Dornan.[4]
She died in August 2012 at age 88; her decomposed body was discovered at her home in Washington, D.C. on August 13, 2012.[5]
References[]
- ^ "March for Life founder passes away". jillstanek.com. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- ^ National Archives and Records Administration. U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2005.
- ^ Jolivet, Dave (January 22, 2010). "At 84, Pro-life Leader Nellie Gray Marches On". American Catholic. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
- ^ “1977 National Women's Conference: A Question of Choices,” 1977-11-21, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting
- ^ "Nellie Gray, founder of March for Life, dies". Fox News. August 14, 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
External links[]
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- 1924 births
- 2012 deaths
- American anti-abortion activists
- Women's Army Corps soldiers
- 20th-century American women lawyers
- Converts to Roman Catholicism
- Georgetown University Law Center alumni
- People from Big Spring, Texas
- Activists from Texas
- Catholics from Texas
- 20th-century American lawyers
- United States Army non-commissioned officers
- 21st-century American women
- American activist stubs