Mabel Evelyn Deutrich[1] (April 15, 1915 – June 4, 1998)[2] was an American archivist. In 1975 she was the highest ranking woman in the history of the National Archives.[3]

Mabel E. Deutrich
Born(1915-04-15)April 15, 1915
DiedJune 4, 1998(1998-06-04) (aged 83)
Alma materLa Crosse State Teachers College, American University
OccupationArchivist

She had a 29-year career as a government archivist and served as Assistant Archivist for the Office of the National Archive (predecessor of the National Archives and Records Administration) from 1975 to 1979.[4] She was a specialist on the American Revolutionary War, who inventoried War Department collections of Revolutionary War records. She was particularly active in assessing the role and status of men and women archivists. She received the 1976 NARS Meritorious Service Award for “advancing the status of women in the archival profession."[5][6] After her retirement, she wrote a history of American women, Clio was a Woman: Studies in the History of American Women, focusing on the National Archives collections about women.[7]

Biography edit

Mabel E. Deutrich was born in Burns, Wisconsin[4] and graduated from La Crosse State Teachers College (now known as the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse) with an associate degree in rural education in 1934.[8] She returned to La Crosse State Teachers College and completed a B.S. degree in 1942.[4][5]

 
Deutrich during her PhD studies

She became a clerk in the Mail and Record Division in the Office of the Chief Engineers during World War II. She served as a historian in the Department of the Army from 1947 to 1950. In 1950, she joined the National Archives in Washington, D.C. She received an M.A. in public administration from American University in 1958, followed by a Ph.D. in public administration in 1960. The subject of her thesis was Fred C. Ainsworth: Army Surgeon and Administrator,[6] work that was the basis of her 1962 book Struggle for Supremacy: The Career of General Fred C. Ainsworth.[5] She served as Assistant Archivist for the Office of the National Archive (predecessor of the National Archives and Records Administration) from 1975 to 1979. She retired from NARA in 1979.[5]

After Deutrich's retirement, she wrote a history of American women, Clio was a Woman: Studies in the History of American Women, focusing on the National Archives collections about women.[7]

Professional surveys edit

Deutrich carried out a study of individual training and the rewards received by men and women archivists, entitled "Women in Archives: Ms. versus Mr. Archivist" in 1973.[9][10] She headed the Committee on the Status of Women in preparing The Report on the Status of Women in the Archival Profession (1974), which compared the "rank, salary and professional commitment" of men and women in the archival profession.[11] Responsibility for enforcing the Equal Pay Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act were transferred from the Labor Department to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 1979.[12] Deutrich carried out a major review of the archival profession in 1979, published in 1980 as "The Society of American Archivists: Survey of the Archival Profession—1979".[13]

Published works edit

  • Deutrich, Mabel E. (1962). Struggle for Supremacy: The Career of General Fred C. Ainsworth. Washington, D.C.: Public Affairs Press.
  • Deutrich, Mabel E.; Purdy, Virginia Cardwell (1980). Clio was a Woman: Studies in the History of American Women. Washington: Howard University Press. ISBN 9780882582375.

Death edit

Mabel E. Deutrich died of cancer in Santa Cruz, California on June 4, 1998.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries. Third Series: 1961: January-June. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. 1962. p. 200. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Mabel E Deutrich (1915 - 1998)". AncientFaces, LLC. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  3. ^ "People and papers" (PDF). SAA Newsletter. November 1975. p. 4. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d "Obituaries". The Washington Post. June 20, 1998. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d "Ms. Archivist". Pieces of History. The National Archives. March 1, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Parkinson, Hiilary (26 March 2015). "What's Your Story, Mabel Deutrich?". Pieces of History. The National Archives. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Seneca Falls Convention and the Origin of the Woman's Movement" (PDF). 120. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  8. ^ The 1934 La Crosse. La Crosse State Teachers College. 1934. p. 46.
  9. ^ Owens, Irene (2003). Strategic marketing in library and information science. Binghamton: Haworth. p. 176. ISBN 978-0789021434. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  10. ^ Deutrich, Mabel (April 1973). "Women in Archives: Ms. versus Mr. Archivist". The American Archivist. 36 (2): 171–181. doi:10.17723/aarc.36.2.x74vh77270228681.
  11. ^ "Publications" (PDF). SAA Newsletter: 3. March 1978.
  12. ^ "REORGANIZATION PLANS REORGANIZATION PLAN NO. 1 OF 1978 RE: FEDERAL EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY ACTIVITIES". U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  13. ^ Deutrich, Mabel E.; Dewhitt, Ben; Cappon, Lester J. (1980). "The Society of American Archivists: Survey of the Archival Profession—1979". The American Archivist. 43 (4): 527–537. doi:10.17723/aarc.43.4.n378r12779k51052. JSTOR 40292355.