PATRICIA LINDH PAPERS, (1970) 1974-76

Patricia S. Lindh served as Special Assistant to the President for Women during the administration of Gerald Ford. Lindh’s work in the federal government began in 1974 under the direction of Anne Armstrong, Counsellor to Richard Nixon, and continued after her appointment by President Ford in December 1974. In both administrations Lindh was responsible for liaison with women’s organizations and overseeing the Office of Women’s Programs (OWP). Her major duties and accomplishments included: formulating anti-discrimination legislation and regulations, encouraging qualified women to seek top level jobs within the Federal Government, and assisting in the development of the Administration’s policies and programs for International Women’s Year.

In March 1976, Lindh was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. In that office she promoted programs of international exchange such as the Fulbright Scholarship program and was responsible for administering the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961. The collection contains very little on this phase of Lindh’s career.

Lindh left behind most of the material from her service in the Ford White House when she left in 1976. It was received by the library as part of the Patricia Lindh and Jeanne Holm Files in 1977. This collection supplements her official White House Files with miscellaneous materials accumulated by Lindh since her entry into local and state politics. They consist of newspaper articles and correspondence about each position that she held with the Republican party or the Ford and Nixon administrations. Ms. Lindh was a strong proponent of volunteerism; her views on this subject as well as party politics and the role of women within the political structure are represented in copies of draft speeches included with the collection. Also present is a copy of her personal scrapbook which includes photos as well as citations for service and honorary college degrees.

Related Materials (January 1998)
Related materials are in the Patricia Lindh and Jeanne Holm Files, the Patricia Lindh oral history file, the Sheila Weidenfeld Files, the Anne Armstrong Files, the Elizabeth O’Neill Files, the William J. Baroody Files, and Mrs. Ford’s Papers. Relevant material can also be found in the White House Central Files categories FG 11-5 (Bureau of Cultural Affairs), FG 399 (National Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year), FO 5 (Exchange Activities), FO 5-1 (Exchange Activities - Educational), HE 2-5 (Human Rights - Women), PP 5-1 (Mrs. Ford), WE 1 (Children), WE 1-1 (Child Welfare Services) WE 3 (Family Planning), and WE 7 (Social Security).