New Canaan There & Then: A Life of Firsts—Marion Dickerman’s Legacy of Equality and Service

‘New Canaan There & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Bettina Hegel, Joanne Santulli, Dawn Sterner and Pam Stutz.

Marion Dickerman, born in New York in 1890, was a woman truly ahead of her time, and served as a pillar of equality, education, and historical preservation. From suffragette to educator to wartime nurse and beyond, Dickerman’s legacy lives on. She is one of the exceptional women who have been residents of New Canaan.

During her college years first at Wellesley and later Syracuse, Dickerman was a strong advocate for women’s suffrage, as well as protective labor legislation for women, and the abolishment of child labor. It was here that she met her lifelong friend, roommate, and companion, Nancy Cook, and the two went on to share a life committed to progressive reform.

After getting a bachelor’s degree in 1911 and a master’s degree in education the following year, she became a teacher until the start of World War I. Although she had held an anti-war stance, Marion’s respect for Woodrow Wilson and belief in the dignity of democracy inspired her to contribute to the war effort in any way she could. 

A 1974 Stamford Advocate article, stated, “‘During World War I, the boys in the high school at which I taught were enlisting. I said to myself, ‘Well, I can’t just stay here and do nothing.’’” 

So, Marion and Nancy traveled to England, paying their own way, to volunteer at a London hospital in the spring of 1918. The pair arrived during the German spring offensive, when nurse orderlies were in high demand. In the same Advocate article Dickerman recalls, “I don’t think Miss Cook ever reconciled herself to the tragedy she saw, but she was instrumental in creating the artificial limbs the wounded used.”

When they returned to America in August 1919, Cook assumed the position of chairman for the women’s division for the democratic party, and Dickerman was selected to oppose Thaddeus Sweet, an anti-woman’s suffrage conservative, in the election for speaker of the New York State Assembly. Dickerman lost, but she cut Sweet’s majority in half, which prevented him from becoming the Republican gubernatorial nominee. 

Dickerman’s success, however, was marked by repeated harassment and criticism in the public eye, as “Mr. Sweet’s backers slashed the tires on her car and denied her assembly halls to speak in while turning out the lights in those her campaign did manage to rent”.

Hostility toward a woman seeking a leadership position during this time was not uncommon. The 19th Amendment, which gave white women the right to vote, had been passed by Congress but wouldn’t be ratified for another year. Marion remained strong despite these efforts to sabotage her campaign, expressing in an Advocate interview, “They did all these ridiculous things which gave me great notoriety, if nothing else.”

Following her electoral run, in 1921 Dickerman accepted the Dean’s position at the New Jersey State College in Trenton and taught English for a summer at Bryn Mawr’s Summer School for Women Workers. She then moved closer to New York City in 1922, accepting a position with the State Democratic Committee, where Cook served as the executive secretary of the Women’s Division. It was here that Cook introduced her to Eleanor Roosevelt, who invited them to Hyde Park for a weekend visit.

This was the start of the trio’s over 15-year friendship. United by their exchange of political ideas, they soon began working together for a number of organizations: the Women’s Trade Union League, the League of Women Voters, and the Democratic National Committee. 

Marion Dickerson (right) working on a clothing + textiles exhibition. Photo courtesy of the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society

In 1927, Eleanor Roosevelt established Val-Kill Industries, a colonial handicrafts company that helped train local farming families to earn a supplemental income. Dickerman invested in the company, while Cook designed the goods and managed the factory, and Roosevelt promoted the business in public appearances. The company’s ten-year run was ultimately dissolved due to pressures from the Great Depression and Nancy’s poor health; however, it paved the way for larger New Deal initiatives during FDR’s administration.

The ladies’ friendship began to wane as a result of Eleanor’s growing responsibilities, business disagreements, and Eleanor’s perception that Dickerman’s allegiance favored FDR. Further, in 1938, while Marion was abroad with a Presidential mission, Nancy Cook and Eleanor Roosevelt had a rupture which firmly ended their friendship. 

Marion Dickerman remained active in democratic politics and went on to serve on the President’s Commission to study Industrial Relations in Great Britain and Sweden, the Conference on Children in a Democracy, the Apparel Industry Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and the American Arbitration Association.

In 1946, after FDR’s death, Marion and Nancy moved to New Canaan and lived on Sunset Hill Road. Marion served as Vice President of what was then the New Canaan Historical Society. She was also a member of the New Canaan Historic District Commission and the New Canaan Board of Education. In 1967, she served as director of the area center for the Alcoholism Guidance Service operating in Cos Cob.

Dickerman commemorated her recollections of her time spent with the Roosevelt’s in the book “Invincible Summer: An Intimate Portrait of the Roosevelts,” authored by Kenneth S. Davis, published in 1974, a copy of which is in the New Canaan Museum’s library.

In 1980, the National Science for Youth Foundation established a scholarship in her name in honor of her 90th birthday. Marion died in Pennsylvania on May 16, 1983. With incredible moral courage, Dickerman paved the way for women in public life and politics, never wavering in the face of tribulation.