Gertrude Geraldine Michelson

Gertrude Geraldine Michelson, also known as G.G. Michelson (June 3, 1925 – January 10, 2015), was an American businesswoman. She was the first woman to head the board of trustees of an Ivy League university (Columbia), and the first woman to sit on the board of directors of Macy's and General Electric. She served as an executive of multiple Fortune 500 companies.

Early life and education Gertrude Geraldine Michelson was born Gertrude Geraldine Rosen in Jamestown, New York, on June 3, 1925, to Celia (née Cohen) and Thomas Rosen, Jewish immigrants from near Vilna in the Russian Empire. Michelson was the youngest of three children, and she was 11 years old when her mother died of tuberculosis. During her youth, the family traveled around the United States,

Michelson studied industrial psychology at Pennsylvania State University, graduating in 1945 aged nineteen, Michelson, seeking self-improvement, had been inspired to study law by men she met who talked about their ambitions to do so, though her father disapproved. as well as from Adelphi University, New Rochelle College, and Marymount Manhattan College (Doctor of Laws). She chaired Columbia's board until 1992. During her time on the board, it decided to allow women to attend Columbia,

During her career she sat on the board of directors of major companies in different industries, including Macy's; General Electric; Goodyear Tire; publisher Harper and Row; food conglomerate Quaker Oats; insurance provider Chubb; hardware manufacturer Stanley Works; investment bank Irving Trust; She also held roles in public service, including Deputy Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Director of the New York City Partnership; Director of the Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan New York; and on the Emergency Financial Control Board as well as various city commissions,

A cousin of Michelson told The New York Times that among Michelson's tricks for dealing with male executives, she used her love of sports, as "it threw [the men] off so bad to talk baseball with a woman that they didn't know what to do." Michelson preferred to stay out of the spotlight. In 1989 she told The New York Times that "sometimes it's better to let others view what you've achieved in historical terms, while you just do the best you can as an individual."

Personal life While studying at Columbia Law, Michelson met her husband Horace Michelson, whom she married in 1947 while they were still students. He introduced her to the New York Yankees, of which she became an ardent fan. Reportedly, Horace was supportive of his powerful wife and often attended events organised for wives at business events the couple attended. They had two daughters, Martha and Barbara; Martha died while a student at Goddard College, and Barbara studied at Le Cordon Bleu and became a baker. Horace (d. 2002) was a corporate lawyer, and served in the Army during World War II, receiving the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Silver Star.