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FIRST WOMAN AMBASSADOR

First Woman to Sign a Treaty, 1951

By Paula C. HendersonPublished 3 years ago 6 min read
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Photo by Patrice Beam

In 1965 she became the first woman to sit on the United Nations Security Council.

Born May 26, 1909, the third of five children, to a minister and homemaker in Adair, Iowa, Helen Eugenie Moore (1909-1997) attended Juilliard School of Music in New York with a dream of becoming a concert pianist.

While attending Carleton College (Minnesota) she met her husband, John Anderson, and they married in 1930 when she was 21 years old.

They made their home in Red Wing, Minnesota on the 400 acre Anderson family farm of her husband called Tower View, now known as Anderson Center and registered with the historical society.

Eugenie was involved in many community activities, one of which was the League of Women Voters.

Her husband, an artist and photographer, had inherited his wealth from his father’s death in 1943 which allowed them the luxury of travel. They went on to have two children.

Her husband, John Anderson (1909-1999) was the son of Alexander Pierce Anderson (1862-1943) who made his fortune by his invention of Quaker Puffed Rice breakfast cereal.

The Anderson family farm, now Anderson Center, offers tours: https://www.andersoncenter.org

After a trip to Europe Eugenie became more active in politics, attended her first Democratic Party precinct caucus, and began to build what would become a prominent career.

In the 1940’s Mrs. Anderson co-founded the very first nursery school in Red Wing, Minnesota. She participated in war bond drives and did work on behalf of the Red Cross. It was during this time Eugenie realized she had a love, and more importantly a talent, for public speaking. She became active in promoting the United Nations as our great hope toward realizing a world of peace once the war was over.

World War II was a transitional time for the Democratic and Republican parties of the United States, and Eugenie, having grown up Republican did not agree with the isolationism ideology of the then, current day Republicans were leaning toward, instead, gravitating toward the anti-communist liberalism of the Democratic Party and the ideologies of men like Hubert Humphrey (1911-1978). Eugenie met Hubert Humphrey, our 38th Vice President (1965-1969) while he was serving as Mayor of Minneapolis from 1945-1948. Eugenie would eventually become a close confident to Hubert Humphrey both on a personal and professional level throughout his life.

In 1948 Eugenie Anderson become the Democratic National Committeewoman for Minnesota and attended the party’s national convention as a delegate-at-large.

She found herself heavily involved in the re-election efforts of President Harry Truman at a time when Pres. Truman was making an effort to appoint women to federal positions. Truman appointed her Ambassador to Denmark in 1949.

The Evening Star (Washington, DC) reported this news story on October 20, 1949

“Mrs. Anderson Confirmed As Envoy to Denmark: The Senate yesterday confirmed Mrs. Eugenie Anderson of Red Wing, Minn., as Ambassador to Denmark. She thus becomes the first woman to represent this National abroad in its highest diplomatic rank. Mrs. Anderson, who is 40, lives on a 400 acre farm with her artist husband and two children. She has been Democratic national committeewoman from Minnesota.”

Mrs. Eugenie was received in Copenhagen by King Frederik at Christiansborg Castle where she then had a private meeting with Queen Ingrid. Mrs. Anderson, addressed as Mrs. Ambassador, was transported from the palace to what would be her and her family’s residence, Rydhave, in a royal carriage.

Rydhave is a large, beautiful villa, built in 1885, about five miles from the heart of Copenhagen.

She is credited with Denmark’s decision to make a stronger commitment to NATO. She negotiated an agreement that allowed for the United States to have access to the air bases in Greenland, then a part of Denmark.

She became the first woman to sign a treaty with another nation when in 1951 an agreement was made to provide for the joint defense of Greenland.

Mrs. Anderson spoke at the 1952 Democratic National Convention and campaigned for nominee Adlai Stevenson.

She remained the Ambassador of Denmark until 1953 when she resigned the night before Eisenhower’s inauguration.

Eugenie went on a speaking tour for the next ten years; lecturing in Europe, India and the United States. She was a frequent speaker for the League of Women Voters.

In 1958 she led a vigorous campaign for the Senate from her home state of Minnesota. She lost her bid for the Senate and almost immediately began campaigning for Humphreys Democratic Presidential bid.

In 1962 she accepted an appointment by President John F. Kennedy as head of the American delegation to Bulgaria which at that time was a communist nation. While in this post Mrs. Anderson negotiated the settlement of U.S. outstanding financial claims from WWII.

It was reported that Mrs. Anderson, known for always being a poised diplomat, walked out of a formal reception when a Bulgarian official insulted the United States. Walter Mondale called her one of the giants of the Democratic Party!

She resigned from the post in 1964.

In 1965 she became the first woman to sit on the United Nations Security Council.

What followed would be nearly a decade with the United Nations representing the United Nations Trusteeship Council under President Lyndon B. Johnson, serving on the United Nations Committee for Decolonization and in 1967 Eugenie went to Vietnam as an observer of the Revolutionary Development Program under the direction of President Johnson.

During retirement she enjoyed leisure travel, served on boards and enjoyed her family which by now included grandchildren. She passed away in 1997 at age 87.

Eugenie Anderson’s granddaughter, Mary Dupont, released an engaging biography of her grandmother in March 2019, published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press, 321 pages:

‘Mrs. Ambassador the life and politics of Eugenie Anderson’ available in kindle and paperback. Amazon.com/EugenieAnderson

According to her granddaughter Mary Dupont, her grandmother, Eugenie, shared stories of family members who took part in hiding runaway slaves along the Underground Railroad.

Mary Dupont’s book is a warm, and personal account of Eugenie Anderson that includes accounts from her professional relationships and travels while serving throughout her career abroad. Much of the information she shares comes from personal letters Eugenie wrote home detailing conversations with heads of state and other notable politicians.

I found it of utmost interest how Mrs. Anderson chose to conduct herself, as a woman, doing business with a room full of men. The deliberate choices she made so that the men would focus on the ideas she shared, the work she accomplished, and the decisions she made, in an effort that they might not be distracted with the fact that she was a woman.

A worthy read in 2020 for any woman still trying to find her way in the business world that is still largely run by men.

#CommissionsEarned

Further Reading:

Mrs. Ambassador The Life And Politics Of Eugenie Anderson available in kindle and paperback. Amazon.com/EugenieAnderson

Breaking Protocol: America’s First Female Ambassadors, 1933-1964 (Studies In Conflict Diplomacy Peace) by Philip Nash, Ph.D. amazon.com/BreakingProtocol

Anderson Center, offers tours: https://www.andersoncenter.org

women in politics
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About the Creator

Paula C. Henderson

Paula is a freelance writer, healthy food advocate, mom and cookbook author.

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