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Millicent Fenwick: Her Way
Amy Schapiro has written the first biography of Millicent Fenwick, the popular and colorful New Jersey congresswoman. Affectionately remembered as the pipe-smoking grandmother who served as the model for Garry Trudeau’s Doonesbury character Lacey Davenport, Fenwick defied such simplistic expectations to become, in the words of Walter Cronkite, “the conscience of Congress.”
Born in 1910 into comfortable circumstances, Fenwick faced tragedy at an early age when her mother was lost in the sinking of the Lusitania .Following an upper-class childhood and a failed marriage, she began a fourteen-year career at Vogue magazine.
In the 1960s, Fenwick became involved in the civil rights movement and took part in local and state politics in New Jersey. Blessed with striking good looks and a sharp wit, she cut a glamorous figure, rising quickly through the ranks of the state Republican Party at a time when most of her peers were retiring. When this colorful, outspoken figure—one of only five New Jersey women ever elected to Congress— went to Washington in 1974 at age sixty-four, her victory was portrayed by the media as a “geriatric triumph.”
Schapiro’s extensive interviews with Fenwick’s son, Hugh, who granted her exclusive rights to Fenwick’s personal papers, oral histories, letters, and photographs, provide rare insight into the life and career of one of America’s most memorable politicians.
Born in 1910 into comfortable circumstances, Fenwick faced tragedy at an early age when her mother was lost in the sinking of the Lusitania .Following an upper-class childhood and a failed marriage, she began a fourteen-year career at Vogue magazine.
In the 1960s, Fenwick became involved in the civil rights movement and took part in local and state politics in New Jersey. Blessed with striking good looks and a sharp wit, she cut a glamorous figure, rising quickly through the ranks of the state Republican Party at a time when most of her peers were retiring. When this colorful, outspoken figure—one of only five New Jersey women ever elected to Congress— went to Washington in 1974 at age sixty-four, her victory was portrayed by the media as a “geriatric triumph.”
Schapiro’s extensive interviews with Fenwick’s son, Hugh, who granted her exclusive rights to Fenwick’s personal papers, oral histories, letters, and photographs, provide rare insight into the life and career of one of America’s most memorable politicians.
310 pages, Hardcover
First published February 12, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 14, 2019
This book was okay; I will say that it was well-researched and the author did have a great passion for the subject. That being said, there is a little too much focus on Fenwick's upbringing and upper-crust childhood, and I think that pagecount could have been better spent enlarging the political chapters. I would have also liked more analysis of the repercussions of her voting record, and a better effort to fit Fenwick into the larger political paradigm. It is possible that someone will eventually have to admit that Fenwick was, at the end of the day, a fairly unimportant political figure and a backbencher in Congress. That being said, I discovered her through Doonesbury, so I am glad that that subject received proper attention. Full review at link:
May 29, 2020
The character of Millicent Fenwick looms large on modern New Jersey political history. Amy Schapiro's "Millicent Fenwick: Her Way" chronicles the unlikely rise of a distinguished public servant. What I enjoyed most about the book was the examination of Fenwick's troubled childhood. Born into a family of patrician background, her parents were on the RMS Lusitania when it was attacked by a German submarine. While her mother perished, her father survived. He never spoke of the event, an example of a pattern of neglect that dominated the young Fenwick's formative years. She was equally unlucky in marriage. Above all, she strikes the reader as human.
Ms. Schapiro does an equally good job of describing Fenwick's ascent as a local, state, and finally federal public official. One is struck by her courage, persistence, grace, and humor.
For those interested in learning about an often overlooked woman trailblazer, I recommend "Millicent Fenwick: Her Way."
Ms. Schapiro does an equally good job of describing Fenwick's ascent as a local, state, and finally federal public official. One is struck by her courage, persistence, grace, and humor.
For those interested in learning about an often overlooked woman trailblazer, I recommend "Millicent Fenwick: Her Way."
October 14, 2018
Warmed my heart and reminded me about what it means to be a public servant.
July 1, 2016
Millicent Fenwick, elected to Congress in 1975 at the age of 65, was dubbed the "conscience of Congress" by Walter Cronkite. Although born into a fabulously wealthy & well-established NJ family, she also experienced many challenges throughout her lifetime, which might have hobbled a less determined person. She had a strong moral compass and during her life was committed to fight for human rights and to do right. The epitaph on her tombstone reads: "Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God" (Micah 6:8). If more of our politicians followed her lead, our country would not be in the dire straights we now find ourselves.
December 5, 2015
interesting info on Mrs. Fenwick.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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