Phyllis Schlafly

Phyllis Schlafly
Name	Phyllis Schlafly
Caption	Schlafly in 1967
Birth name	Phyllis McAlpin Stewart
Birth date	15 August 1924
Birth place	St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Death date	5 September 2016
Death place	Ladue, Missouri, U.S.
Education	Washington University in St. Louis (BA)
Spouse	John Fred Schlafly Jr., 1949, 1993
Party	Republican
Known for	Opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment, conservative activism
Occupation	Lawyer, author, activist

Phyllis Schlafly was an American constitutional lawyer, conservative activist, author, and anti-feminist spokesperson. She became a national figure through her successful campaign to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the United States Constitution. A stalwart of the Republican Party's right wing, she founded the Eagle Forum and authored numerous books, including A Choice Not an Echo, influencing the modern conservative movement.

Early life and education

Phyllis McAlpin Stewart was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a middle-class family. Her father, John Bruce Stewart, was a salesman and engineer, while her mother, Odile Dodge Stewart, was a librarian and teacher. After her father lost his job during the Great Depression, the family relied on her mother's income, an experience that shaped her views on self-reliance. She attended Maryville College of the Sacred Heart before transferring to Washington University in St. Louis, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1944. She subsequently received a fellowship to study at Radcliffe College, earning a Master of Arts in political science in 1945.

Legal career and early activism

Schlafly later earned a Juris Doctor from Washington University School of Law in 1978. Her political activism began in the 1940s, working for the American Enterprise Institute and campaigning for Republican candidates. She gained prominence within conservative circles with her 1964 self-published book, A Choice Not an Echo, which championed Barry Goldwater's presidential candidacy and criticized the Eastern Establishment of the Republican Party. She was a delegate to multiple Republican National Conventions and served on the platform committees, advocating for strong national defense and anti-communist policies.

STOP ERA campaign

Schlafly's most famous political achievement was organizing the national "STOP ERA" campaign, founded in 1972. She argued the Equal Rights Amendment would eliminate legal protections for women, such as alimony and exemption from the military draft. Through her newsletter, the Phyllis Schlafly Report, and extensive speaking tours, she mobilized a grassroots coalition, often composed of homemakers, against ratification. Her efforts were pivotal in preventing the amendment from achieving the necessary approval from three-fourths of the state legislatures before the 1982 deadline, despite strong support from groups like the National Organization for Women and the National Women's Political Caucus.

Political advocacy and later career

Following the STOP ERA campaign, Schlafly remained a powerful voice in conservative politics through her organization, the Eagle Forum. She was a staunch opponent of abortion-rights movements, no-fault divorce laws, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. She advocated for a robust Strategic Defense Initiative and criticized arms control treaties with the Soviet Union. In later decades, she was a vocal critic of illegal immigration to the United States and a supporter of Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries. She continued writing and broadcasting until her death.

Personal life and death

In 1949, she married Fred Schlafly, a wealthy attorney from Alton, Illinois, who shared her conservative and Catholic beliefs. They had six children. Her husband was a co-founder of the Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation and supported her activism. Phyllis Schlafly died of natural causes at her home in Ladue, Missouri, on September 5, 2016. Her funeral was held at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.

Legacy and influence

Schlafly is widely regarded as one of the most effective grassroots organizers in modern American politics. Her defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment fundamentally altered the trajectory of the feminist movement in the United States. She helped galvanize the Religious Right and shape the Republican Party platform for decades. Institutions like the Phyllis Schlafly Center at Eagle Forum University continue to promote her ideas. Her life and career have been the subject of numerous biographies, documentaries, and even an opera, The Schlafly Opera.

Category:American anti-feminists Category:American conservative activists Category:American women lawyers