#sylvia porter

[fordlibrarymuseum]

Women’s History Month Spotlight: Sylvia Porter

Originally from Long Island, Sylvia Porter saw how the world had been deeply affected by the Stock Market Crash and decided to study economics and finance. In 1934 she began writing a column for The American Banker and New York Post as well as other magazines explaining finances and economic matters in plain language to her readers. Readers did not discover that “S.F. Porter” was a woman until 1942, and she is considered the first woman to hold such a position. Throughout her life, Porter continued writing, both her column as well as several books, and hosted a radio show called What Can I Do? regularly broadcast on New York’s WJZ.

In 1974, when President Ford was dealing with an inflation crisis, Porter seemed a natural fit to help organize a voluntary citizens program. As someone used to making difficult economic concepts understandable, Porter thought that consumers needed to be enlisted in rather than lectured about the fight against inflation. The Citizens Action Committee to Fight Inflation (CAC) she was asked to chair would provide the American people with an opportunity to get actively involved.

On the day of the CAC’s first meeting, Porter gave a press conference regarding the program and its aims. Read it here.

Image:  President Gerald R. Ford, Sylvia Porter, Ralph Nader, and Others at a Meeting of the Citizens Action Committee to End Inflation, 10/12/1974 (National Archives Identifier 12082668)

[thepopculturearchivist]

March 2, 1970

[fordlibrarymuseum]

For Women's History Month this year we’re profiling some of the pioneering women of the Ford administration. Today, we are featuring financial columnist and Chairperson of the Citizens' Action Committee to Fight Inflation, Sylvia Porter.

Originally from Long Island, Sylvia Porter saw how the world had been deeply affected by the Stock Market Crash and decided to study economics and finance. In 1934 she began writing a column for The American Banker and New York Post as well as other magazines explaining finances and economic matters in plain language to her readers. Readers did not discover that "S.F. Porter" was a woman until 1942, and she is considered the first woman to hold such a position. Throughout her life, Porter continued writing, both her column as well as several books, and hosted a radio show called What Can I Do? regularly broadcast on New York's WJZ.

In 1974, when President Ford was dealing with an inflation crisis, Porter seemed a natural fit to help organize a voluntary citizens program. As someone used to making difficult economic concepts understandable, Porter thought that consumers needed to be enlisted in rather than lectured about the fight against inflation. The Citizens Action Committee to Fight Inflation (CAC) she was asked to chair would provide the American people with an opportunity to get actively involved.

The CAC had its first meeting at the White House on October 12, 1974. Its members, who represented a variety of organizations and businesses from the private sector, met with President Ford and adopted a statement of principle. As a nonpartisan organization it would “develop public understanding and participation in a nationwide effort to control inflation and save energy” in an effort to “mobilize the Nation through all of its people.”

On the day of that first meeting, Porter gave a press conference regarding the program and its aims. Read it here.

Image: President Gerald R. Ford, Sylvia Porter, Ralph Nader, and Others at a Meeting of the Citizens Action Committee to End Inflation, 10/12/1974

[krjpalmer]

Family Computing July 1986

This issue’s cover feature took a look at celebrity-branded software in all its variations. One article inside helped make better sense of the increasingly broad and generic “IBM compatible” market.

[defunct-mobius-loop]

Oh lordy it is going to be a while before I draw a car again. 2 technical 4 me!!

While I’m thinking about it, here are the headcanons I came up with as I was drawing Sylvia:

- she dyes her hair a lot bc she thinks it’s cool, and maybe she thinks if she were to disappear people might remember seeing a girl with blue hair - she tries to be prepared for anything, so she ends up with a bunch of random stuff in her backpack. Sometimes when she cleans it out she finds stuff like weird good luck charms from roadside tourist traps, and really old chunks of candy bars. - Her favorite video game as a kid was Tomb Raider and when she wears her favorite now only jacket and shorts, it makes her feel a little like Lara Croft.

[defunct-mobius-loop]

Out behind the EZ Stop...

[jewishbookworld]

Sylvia Porter's Money Book: How to Earn it, Spend it, Save it, Invest it, Borrow it, and Use it to Better Your Life

In the 1930s-1980s, where did you get your financial news? The smart money was on an insightful journalist and economist with the enigmatic byline S.F. Porter. ... Sylvia devoted herself to making finance easily understandable to the public. She saw herself as a consumer advocate, encouraging everyone to get educated. She especially pushed women to take charge of their own finances in an age when many people thought thinking about money was best left to men. She disdained what she termed “bafflegab:” the art of making finance and government confounding. ...

Her 1,105-page handbook, “Sylvia Porter’s Money Book: How to Earn It, Spend It, Save It, Invest It, Borrow It, and Use It to Better Your Life,” based partially on a quarter century of her columns, became a bestseller. Not baffling at all!

Sylvia Porter's Money Book: How to Earn it, Spend it, Save it, Invest it, Borrow it, and Use it to Better Your Life