Ann London Scott

Ann London Scott (July 29, 1929 – February 17, 1975) was an American feminist. She founded the Buffalo chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). As legislative vice president of the national organization in the early 1970s, she led the effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. She was also a poet, translator, and English professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB).

Early life and education

She was born in Seattle, Washington, to Daniel Edwin London and Claire Chester London. In 1935 she moved with her family to San Francisco, California, where her father managed a luxury hotel. She attended the Dominican Convent School in San Rafael, California. She studied literature at the University of Washington, receiving a B.A. in 1954 and her doctorate in 1968. She wrote her dissertation on Shakespeare's use of language.

Academic and literary career

She taught at the University of Washington during the early 1960s. In 1965 she moved to New York to teach at UB. During this period she published poetry in literary magazines such as Sage, Choice, and Poetry Northwest.

Activism

She joined NOW in 1967 and led the formation of its Buffalo, New York, chapter. She was elected to the organization's national board in 1970.

In 1971 she was elected legislative vice president of NOW. That same year, she co-authored two feminist pamphlets, Business and Industry Discrimination Kit and And Justice for All, with Lucy Komisar. In 1973 she left UB to work full-time as a lobbyist for NOW and other groups. During her three terms as legislative vice president of NOW, Scott led the effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972.