Eli Sagan

Eli Sagan (March 3, 1927 – January 4, 2015) was an American businessman who headed one of the nation's largest manufacturers of outerwear for young women, an autodidact in cultural sociology who wrote several widely reviewed books on the subject and a political activist who served on the national finance committee for George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign, a role that earned him a spot on Richard Nixon's Enemies List in 1973.

Early life and business career Sagan was born on March 3, 1927, in Summit, New Jersey to manufacturer George Sagan and homemaker Esther (née Gooen) Sagan. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Harvard University in 1948, magna cum laude, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa society.

After college, he joined the family business, New York Girl Coat Co., which manufactured outerwear for young women, largely for sale to department stores.

Political advocacy A co-founder of the political group Fund for New Priorities in America in 1969, Sagan also served as director and treasurer of the Council for a Livable World, an advocacy organization dedicated to eliminating the US arsenal of nuclear weapons. He helped to coordinate the "Senators for Peace and New Priorities" rally held at New York City's Madison Square Garden in 1970, and two years later was behind a rally for McGovern also held at the Garden. He told a newspaper that he felt "honored" to be included in two versions of the list, but "was disappointed that I wasn't on the last one". He called his inclusion on the list as his "proudest life moment".

Sagan was a visiting professor in sociology and women's studies at the University of California, Berkeley, The New School and Brandeis University. During the early seventies he also taught one course a week in anthropology at The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.

Personal Sagan married Frimi Giller of Chelsea, Massachusetts on August 7, 1949, at Boston's Copley-Plaza Hotel. They had four children: Miriam, Rachel, Susannah and Daniel.