Elizabeth Miller Richards papers

Papers, 1929-1996. 1 linear inch. Politician and women's rights activist from Red Oak, Iowa,who ran for Iowa state representative in 1966.

The Elizabeth Miller Richards papers date from 1929 to 1996 and measure 1 linear inch. The biographical materials include a 2005 interview with Richards conducted by Kären Mason and a Time magazine special issue "The American Woman," which covers Elizabeth Richards's involvement in NOW. Also included are articles featuring portraits and brief summaries of Elizabeth Miller's activities while attending Radcliffe College. The Political Campaigns folders consist of materials related to Elizabeth Richards's campaigns for political office, including "The Cost of Political Campaigns," written by Richards and published by the League of Women Voters of Iowa. The photographs include pictures of Richards at Radcliffe College and during her political activities in the 1960s.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Miller Richards, politician and women's rights advocate, was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Her father, Albert Miller, was a pioneer in anesthesia, and her mother, Ada Holding Miller, was a musician and president of the National Federation of Music Clubs. Elizabeth Miller graduated from Radcliffe College in 1934, and married Charles Richards, a lawyer from Red Oak, Iowa, the following year. In 1947 the couple moved from Washington, D.C. to Red Oak with their children.

Richards became active in the Democratic Party in Red Oak. From 1963 to 1964 Richards was the secretary of the Democratic State Central Committee and in 1964 she ran an unsuccessful campaign for Democratic National Committeewoman. In 1966 Richards ran for state representative of Adams and Montgomery counties. She was also active in the League of Women Voters of Iowa and the National Organization for Women (NOW). In 1970, she wrote "The Cost of Political Campaigns," an article exploring the role of financial resources in political campaigns.