Polly Spiegel Cowan

Pauline "Polly" Spiegel Cowan (1913–1976) was an American civil rights activist who co-founded Wednesdays in Mississippi.

Biography She was born Penelope Spiegel to a German Jewish immigrant family, the youngest of four children born to Lena (née Straus) and Modie Spiegel. Her mother was the daughter of banker Frederic W. Straus. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College where she had studied under Max Lerner and Robert Staughton Lynd. In 1952, her husband ran the media campaign for Adlai Stevenson and she was responsible for "Women Volunteers for Stevenson".

Personal life She married twice. Her first marriage was to a man who worked for her grandfather. They had four children: Paul Cowan, Geoffrey Cowan, Holly Cowan Shulman, and Liza Cowan.