Hobby, Oveta Culp, 1905-1995

Title:

Hobby, Oveta Culp, 1905-1995

Description:

Bio: Oveta Culp Hobby (1905-1995) went to Washington, D.C., in 1941 to head the newly formed women's division of the War Department's Bureau of Public Relations. At the request of Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall she drafted plans for the formation of a women's auxiliary to the male army, which ultimately resulted in the formation of the WAC (Women's Army Corps). By 1943 she oversaw the activities of more than one hundred thousand WACs in a variety of noncombat positions. That year she was made a colonel in the army, but male opposition blocked her from the rank of general. She received the Distinguished Service Medal in honor of her work. Following the war she resigned her commission and returned to Houston.In 1953 Hobby was recalled by Dwight D. Eisenhower to Washington. Now president, Eisenhower appointed her the first secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), making her the second female cabinet member.

Relation:

LBJ Connection: Long-time acquaintance of LBJ