Robyn Muncy. Relentless Reformer

Robyn Muncy has written an exhaustive biography of Josephine Roche, a woman literally lost to history. In the process, Muncy has not just revealed an individual heretofore hidden, but she has illustrated key challenges that confront historians of women. Muncy’s provocative study of Roche’s life and career also provides the author with an opportunity to present insights into the nature of twentieth-century U.S. reform movements. Born in Neligh, Nebraska, in 1886, Roche attended Vassar College, an experience that she believed was formative. She was closely aligned with progressive reformers in New York, but especially with those in Denver, Colorado. Roche played an active role in Judge Benjamin Lindsey’s 1908 reelection campaign, was a leader in anti-vice campaigns—a quintessential progressive reform activity—and served as inspector of public amusements. Roche was a delegate to the Progressive Party national convention and in 1922 became head of the Editorial Division of the U.S. Children’s Bureau, which brought her into a network of prominent female reformers. Thus, Roche enjoyed sterling progressive credentials; during her early career her “primary concern was inequality” (5).

Centennial · Economic history · Political science · Politics · Progressive era · Progressivism · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · History · Law · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies