Pilpel, Harriet Fleischl
Files
Description
Pilpel, Harriet Fleischl. December 2, 1911-April 23, 1991. Lawyer, women's reproductive rights advocate, civil libertarian. Harriet Fleischl was born in New York City, the eldest of three daughters of Ethel Loewy and Julius Fleischl. Both her parents were born in the United States. Her paternal grandfather had emigrated from Prussia at age fifteen and later founded Emil Fleischl & Sons, a wholesale dairy that sold eggs and dairy products to restaurants, hotels, and retail stores. Harriet's father worked there; her mother, who graduated from normal school, worked for a time as a teacher. While still in Evander Childs High School, Harriet determined the two values central to her identity: the power to decide for herself whether and when to have children, and the freedom to speak her mind. She was on the high school debate team and throughout her life was an effective public speaker. When she graduated in 1928, her yearbook picture was captioned “A Budding Portia.” She enrolled at Vassar College, where she received a bachelor's degree in 1932. She continued her studies at Columbia University, first taking a master's degree in international relations and public law in 1933, followed by a law degree in 1936. At Columbia, she was selected as articles editor for the prestigious Columbia Law Review and graduated near the top of her class.
Source Publication
Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century
Source Editors/Authors
Susan Ware
Publication Date
2004
Recommended Citation
Law, Sylvia A., "Pilpel, Harriet Fleischl" (2004). Faculty Chapters. 1284.
https://gretchen.law.nyu.edu/fac-chapt/1284
