Political Work
From left, Perle Mesta, First Lady Bess W. Truman, Treasurer of the United States Georgia Neese Clark, Democratic National Committee Vice-Chair India Edwards, and Gladys Avery Tillet, c. 1950. Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration.
From left, wife of Secretary of the Army Mrs. Wilber Bruckner, president of the General Federation of Women's Clubs Mrs. E. Lee Ozbirn, Queen Ingrid of Denmark, Undersecretary of Health and Welfare Bertha Adkins, and Perle Mesta, October 18, 1960. Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.
A staunch promoter and defender of women's rights, Perle spent much of her career in politics working to secure equal rights for women. Initially a member of the Republican Party, Perle was a major factor in the party's adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment as part of their platform in 1940. The Equal Rights Amendment, first proposed in 1923, is an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that guarantees equality of rights under the law for all persons regardless of gender. After switching to the Democratic Party a few years later, Perle was successful once again in persuading politicians to support the Equal Rights Amendment when the Democratic party added it to their platform in 1944.
An important member of the U.S. National Woman's Party, she participated in the creation of the World Woman's Party which was successful in its campaign for the United Nations to include an equal rights amendment in its charter.
"Together, men and women are a tremendous force. And I feel certain that when our forefathers said that our society should be based on equal rights for all men, they did not mean it just that way. They meant equal rights for all men—and women."
— Perle Mesta at the 1952 Democratic Convention
Perle Mesta is greeted by President Lyndon B. Johnson at an official White House Function, date unknown. Courtesy Oklahoma Hall of Fame Archives.