Biography Stories
Live and Let Live Meat Market
An Early Blow for Liberation
Five Cents on the Subway
An Unconventional Courtship
Mississippi Bus Station
Women Across the Country
Passionate Politics
Congress's Hardest Working Member
The Spirit of Houston
WEDO
Passing the Torch
Timeline Bibliography Artifacts Alphabetically Artifacts by Source
Timeline
1920
Born in the Bronx, New York on July 24 to Esther (Tanklefsky) and Emanuel Savitsky
1933
Father dies; defies convention at their Orthodox synagogue by saying Kaddish for him
1942
Graduates with degree in Political Science from Hunter College
1944
Marries Martin Abzug; they have two children: Eve and Liz
1945
Graduates from Columbia Law School where she was an editor of Columbia Law Review
1947
Begins twenty-five years of practicing law, specializing in labor law, tenants rights, civil rights and civil liberties cases
1950
Fights for an appeal for Willie McGee, an African-American man from Mississippi sentenced to death on false charges of raping a white woman
1961
Helps found the nationwide organization Women Strike For Peace
1970
Wins election to Congress representing Manhattan’s 19th Congressional District; serves for three terms as a highly effective and nationally known representative
1971
Co-founds the National Women’s Political Caucus
1972
Publishes Bella!: Ms. Abzug Goes to Washington, a diary of her first year in office
1973
Returns to Congress after difficult re-election campaign
1975
Plays important role at the first United Nations’ Decade of Women conference as well as at both succeeding conferences
1976
Gives up Congressional seat to run for all-male Senate; loses democratic primary race by one percent
1977
Presides over first National Women’s Conference; loses close race for New York City mayor
1978
Appointed co-chair of President Carter’s National Advisory Committee on Women
1979
Fired by President Carter from co-chair position for criticizing administration; co-founds Women USA
1980
Resumes private law practice
1984
Publishes Gender Gap: Bella Abzug’s Guide to Political Power for American Women
1986
Husband Martin dies; defeated in bid for Congress in Westchester County, NY
1990
Co-founds the international Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) and serves as president
1995
Plays leading role at milestone United Nation’s Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing
1997
WEDO co-sponsors the First World Conference on Breast Cancer
1998
Dies of complications following heart surgery in New York City on March 31st at age 77
How to Cite This Page For a bibliography: Jewish Women's Archive. "JWA - Bella Abzug - Timeline." <http://jwa.org/exhibits/wov/abzug/batime.html>. For a footnote: Jewish Women's Archive, "JWA - Bella Abzug - Timeline," <http://jwa.org/exhibits/wov/abzug/batime.html>.
