Ida Weis Friend

Ida Weis Friend (1868–1963) was a suffragist, philanthropist and lifelong advocate for progressive causes in New Orleans. In 1920, she became the first woman from Louisiana to serve as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. (At that convention, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was nominated as the vice presidential candidate.)

In 1946, Friend received the Loving cup award from The Times-Picayune newspaper in honor of a lifetime of civic activism. The Loving Cup is prestigious local community service award that "recognizes residents who have worked unselfishly for the community without expectation of public acclaim or material reward." In her acceptance speech, she said: "I have always thought that citizenship was a privilege that carried with it responsibilities, primarily, as our spiritual leaders tell us, that ‘we are our brothers’ keepers.’ And therefore we should promote in every way possible the progress and prestige of the community in which we live."

In 1924, Ida Weis Friend's son Henry "Bunny" Friend died at age 18. In his memory, she donated funds to create the Bunny Friend Playground in the 9th Ward of New Orleans. In 2015, the playground was the site of a mass shooting incident in which 17 people were injured.

Ida Weis Friend is described in her elder years in the memoir My New Orleans, Gone Away, by Peter M. Wolf. The book cites her efforts to collect money, food and books for Jewish refugees during World War II; in 1946, the American Red Cross honored her efforts with a national award.

Her brother Samuel Washington Weis, a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy (1888) and MIT (1892), was a sketch artist and entrepreneur. In 1906, he became president of Ilg Electric Ventilating Company, a producer of military and industrial fans in Chicago.

Career

From 1919 to 1921, Ida Weis Friend advocated for a government-supported network of ethical businesses, including a woman-owned cooperative grocery store. She worked through both the New Orleans Housewives League and city government.

Also at that time, she campaigned for Louisiana to ratify the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. Ultimately, however, Louisiana voted against the amendment. Friend was active in the Era Club of New Orleans, a suffrage and service organization whose name was an acronym: Equal Rights for All.

In 1921, she was one of two women delegates to Louisiana's constitutional convention.

She was founder of the New Orleans Hadassah, serving as its first president, from 1917 to 1920.

Ida Weis Friend's papers are held by Howard-Tilton Memorial Library at Tulane University.