Josephine Roche

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Josephine A. Roche

Josephine Aspinwall Roche (December 2, 1886 - July 1976) was a Colorado humanitarian, industrialist, activist, and politician. She was born in Neligh, Nebraska, and raised in Omaha, attending private girls' schools there before matriculating at Vassar College in 1904.^[1] There she double-majored in economics and classics, and participated in basketball and track clubs. After graduating in 1908, Roche earned a Masters Degree in social work in 1910 from Columbia University.^[1]

In 1906 her parents, John and Ella Roche, moved to Denver, where much of her life's work would be centered.^[2] Roche volunteered for social causes in both New York City and Denver, studied cost of living issues,^[3] and in 1912 returned to Denver full-time to become that city's first female police officer. However, her tenure there was short-lived, as her zealous prosecution of sumptuary laws and prostitution caused the city's more lenient law enforcement community to force her resignation.^[2]

Over the following decade, Roche held a number of jobs in Denver and Washington, D.C., including serving as chair of the Colorado Progressive Party and campaigning against child labor in the sugar beet industry. While in Washington, she was briefly married to author Edward Hale Bierstadt, a colleague at the Foreign Language Information Service, of which she was the director; the marriage lasted from 1920 to 1922 and ended in divorce.^[1] In 1925, she returned to Colorado due to her father's failing health, and in 1927 inherited his holdings in the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company, a coal mining company which he had founded.^[2] By 1929, she had purchased a majority interest in the company and become president. She then proceeded to enact a variety of pro-labor policies, including an invitation for the United Mine Workers of America to return to Colorado and unionize her mines, 15 years after her father and other coal mine owners had broken the unions in the aftermath of the Ludlow Massacre of 1914.^[3]

Roche left Rocky Mountain Fuel in 1934 to run for Governor of Colorado. After being defeated in the Democratic Party primary^[1] by Edwin C. Johnson, president Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed her as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. She held that post from 1934 until 1937, when she resigned to return to Colorado and run Rocky Mountain Fuel following the death of its president. However, the company was too much impacted by a variety of economic forces, and declared bankruptcy in 1944.^[2]

Beginning in 1948, Roche served as one of three directors of the United Mine Workers' welfare and retirement fund.^[2] In 1968, the union and its leadership were sued for mismanagement of the fund. The mismanagement charge was eventually proven in court, forcing Roche to step down in 1971.^[1]

Over the course of her life, Roche was honored by a number of business and civic organizations, and received honorary degrees from Smith College, Oglethorpe University, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Colorado.^[1]

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Josephine Roche". Vassar Encyclopedia. 2004.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Tillie Fong (July 13, 1999). "Capitalist and Humanitarian". Rocky Mountain News.
↑ 3.0 3.1 "Rocky Mountain Gesture". Time. September 7, 1931.

External links

Josephine Roche at Find a Grave

Colorado Women's Hall of Fame

1980–1989

1985	Archuleta, LenaLena Archuleta Bird, IsabellaIsabella Bird Bonfils, HelenHelen Bonfils Brown, MollyMolly Brown Chipeta Chase, Mary CoyleMary Coyle Chase Eisenhower, MamieMamie Eisenhower Ford, JustinaJustina Ford Griffith, EmilyEmily Griffith Jackson, Helen HuntHelen Hunt Jackson Lamm, DottieDottie Lamm Maxwell, MarthaMartha Maxwell Meir, GoldaGolda Meir Owl Woman Rippon, MaryMary Rippon Sabin, FlorenceFlorence Sabin Schmoll, HazelHazel Schmoll Schroeder, PatPat Schroeder Stanton, May BonfilsMay Bonfils Stanton Steinbeck, AnneAnne Steinbeck Stockton, RuthRuth Stockton Tabor, Baby DoeBaby Doe Tabor Wormington-Volk, MarieMarie Wormington-Volk Yancey, JeanJean Yancey

1986	Brico, AntoniaAntonia Brico Peterson, Helen Louise WhiteHelen Louise White Peterson Roche, JosephineJosephine Roche Smith, Eudochia BellEudochia Bell Smith

1987	Goldberg, MiriamMiriam Goldberg Jacobs, Frances WisebartFrances Wisebart Jacobs Lathrop, Mary FlorenceMary Florence Lathrop Walker, Lenore E.Lenore E. Walker

1988	Churchill, CarolineCaroline Churchill Crain, OletaOleta Crain Orullian, LaRaeLaRae Orullian Stone, Elizabeth Hickok RobbinsElizabeth Hickok Robbins Stone

1989	Brown, ClaraClara Brown Fallis, Edwina HumeEdwina Hume Fallis Hennessy, SumikoSumiko Hennessy Robinson, Cleo ParkerCleo Parker Robinson

1990–1999

1990	Bancroft, CarolineCaroline Bancroft Cantwell, HendrikaHendrika Cantwell Decker, Sara PlattSara Platt Decker Ries, Jane SilversteinJane Silverstein Ries

1991	Black, Helen MarieHelen Marie Black Fiore, GenevieveGenevieve Fiore Tabor, AugustaAugusta Tabor Webb, WilmaWilma Webb

1996	Van Derbur, MarilynMarilyn Van Derbur Birkland, JoanJoan Birkland Boulding, Elise M.Elise M. Boulding Crawford, Dana HudkinsDana Hudkins Crawford Curry, MargaretMargaret Curry Finkel, Terri H.Terri H. Finkel Gilfoyle, Elnora M.Elnora M. Gilfoyle Long, Mary Hauck ElitchMary Hauck Elitch Long McConnell-Mills, FrancesFrances McConnell-Mills Noel, Rachel BassetteRachel Bassette Noel Walter, Mildred PittsMildred Pitts Walter

1997	Anderson, SusanSusan Anderson Archuleta, EppieEppie Archuleta Barry, CealCeal Barry Bourdas, JuanaJuana Bourdas Hunt, SwaneeSwanee Hunt Muse, ReyneldaReynelda Muse Tobin, Mary LukeMary Luke Tobin

2000–2009

2000	Baca, PollyPolly Baca

2002	Gaskill, GudrunGudrun Gaskill Joselyn, Jo Ann CramJo Ann Cram Joselyn Miller, MaryMary Miller Miller, SueSue Miller Tanner, GloriaGloria Tanner Warner, Emily HowellEmily Howell Warner

2004	Anna Lee AldredAnna Lee Aldred Boyd, Louie CroftLouie Croft Boyd Chambers, MerleMerle Chambers Gabow, PatriciaPatricia Gabow LaNier, CarlottaCarlotta LaNier Perry-Frueauff, AntoinetteAntoinette Perry-Frueauff Perry, CharlotteCharlotte Perry and Mansfield, PortiaPortia Mansfield Taylor, Arie ParksArie Parks Taylor

2006	Allen, StephanieStephanie Allen Collins, JudyJudy Collins Downs, MarionMarion Downs Estés, Clarissa PinkolaClarissa Pinkola Estés Hirschfeld, ArleneArlene Hirschfeld Jones, JeanJean Jones Lorber, FannieFannie Lorber Solomon, SusanSusan Solomon Spencer, CarolineCaroline Spencer Spitz, VivienVivien Spitz

2008	Anschutz-Rodgers, SueSue Anschutz-Rodgers Cuaron, AliciaAlicia Cuaron Dennis, EvieEvie Dennis Dubofsky, JeanJean Dubofsky Makepeace, Mary LouMary Lou Makepeace Nie, LilyLily Nie Petteys, AnnaAnna Petteys Routt, ElizaEliza Routt Woltman, RheaRhea Woltman Zaharias, Mildred DidriksonMildred Didrikson Zaharias

2010–2019

2010	Albright, MadeleineMadeleine Albright Greenberg, ElinorElinor Greenberg Guajardo, MariaMaria Guajardo Marrack, PhilippaPhilippa Marrack Martinez, RamonaRamona Martinez McDaniel, HattieHattie McDaniel O'Brien, SusanSusan O'Brien Scott, Bartley MarieBartley Marie Scott Taylor, Alice BemisAlice Bemis Taylor Tietjen, JillJill Tietjen

2012	Anseth, Kristi S.Kristi S. Anseth Bonnema, Janet PetraJanet Petra Bonnema Duncan, Fannie MaeFannie Mae Duncan Ford, Loretta C.Loretta C. Ford Gallegos, Erinea GarciaErinea Garcia Gallegos Gilpin, LauraLaura Gilpin Grandin, TempleTemple Grandin Hsu, Ding-WenDing-Wen Hsu Kerwin, Mary AnnMary Ann Kerwin Mullarkey, Mary J.Mary J. Mullarkey

Authority control	VIAF: 50857603

Persondata
Name	Roche, Josephine
Alternative names
Short description	American politician
Date of birth	December 2, 1886
Place of birth
Date of death	1976
Place of death

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