Ida Schmertz Dies at 91, Leaving Legacy in Women-in-Politics Research

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 25

Ida Schmertz died July 2 in a Manhattan hospital at 91, her daughter said; kidney failure was the cause.
Schmertz was a behind-the-scenes feminist and corporate executive who helped found Rutgers' Center for American Women and Politics in 1971, one of the first academic institutions devoted to studying American women in politics.
Working with Rutgers professor Ruth Mandel, she built the center at a time when even basic data on women holding office was scarce and many academics questioned the need for such research.
Her work helped legitimize women and politics as a field of political science and supported women's advancement from industrial workplaces to corporate leadership.