Ruth P. Smith

Ruth Proskauer Smith (August 14, 1907 – January 22, 2010) was an American advocate for reproductive rights.

Personal life Smith was born Ruth Proskauer on August 14, 1907, in Deal, New Jersey, to Joseph M. Proskauer and Alice Naumburg and grew up in Manhattan. Her father served on the New York Supreme Court, was an adviser to New York Governor Alfred E. Smith, and a partner of the law firm Proskauer Rose. Her mother was one of the founders of the Euthanasia Society of America. she married Theodore Smith. They had a son, Anthony, and a daughter, Gael.

Early career In the 1940s, Smith worked for the Massachusetts chapter of Planned Parenthood. As an executive secretary of the organization, she unsuccessfully attempted to overturn the state's banning of birth control. In 1953, she moved to New York to work at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she managed the family planning service.

Later career Until 2009, she held seminars four times a week for Quest, a program at the City College of New York for retirees at which she taught the history of the US Supreme Court.

She appeared on Ken Burns's documentary Prohibition, which was released in 2011, after her death. She described how she and her friends attempted to make alcohol at home during the Prohibition era and her visits to the 21 Club, in New York City, at the time.

Death and burial Smith died on January 22, 2010, in New York at her home