Phyllis Schlafly (1924-2016) was a major contributor to the founding of the conservative movement with the publication of her 1964 book, A Choice Not An Echo. Selling more than 3 million copies, this book played a key role in the Republican Party’s selection of Barry Goldwater as its presidential nominee, and grassroots conservatives finally felt a part of the national nomination process. She became a leader of the pro-family movement in 1972 when she started the national volunteer organization called Eagle Forum.
Mrs. Schlafly became even more well-known when she led a 10-year fight against the Equal Rights Amendment, the primary legislative goal of the radical feminist movement in the 1960s and 70s. Known for her articulate opposition to feminist ideas, she appeared in debates on college campuses more than any other conservative during that time. She was named one of the 100 most important women of the 20th century by Ladies’ Home Journal.
Mrs. Schlafly authored or edited 27 books on subjects as varied as the judiciary (The Supremacists: The Tyranny of Judges and How to Stop It), family and feminism (The Power of the Positive Woman and Who Killed the American Family?), religion (No Higher Power: Obama’s War on Religious Freedom), nuclear strategy (Strike From Space and Kissinger on the Couch), education (Child Abuse in the Classroom), child care (Who Will Rock the Cradle?), and phonics (First Reader and Turbo Reader). Her monthly newsletter, the "Phyllis Schlafly Report" (now "Eagle Forum Report"), has been an important information source for more than 50 years.
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Washington University, Mrs. Schlafly received a Juris Doctor degree from Washington University Law School, a Master’s degree in Political Science from Harvard University, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Washington University/St. Louis. She was the mother of six children and was named the 1992 Illinois Mother of the Year.