Out of These Roots (signed by Agnes Meyer and First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt)

First Edition, First Printing. One of a kind. Signed on the front free endpaper by Agnes Meyer, scion of the Washington Post family and influential political activist, and her close friend, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Near fine in a very good-plus dust jacket with slight chipping on the head of the spine, the front flap, and with a bit of edgewear. A wonderful association and a slice of history both writ large and personal! A true collector's copy.

Out of These Roots is the autobiography of a trailblazing visionary and leader. Agnes Elizabeth (Ernst) Meyer, (b. January 2, 1887 – d. September 1, 1970), was a journalist, philanthropist, education, political and civil rights activist, art patron, and more. Raised in New York City, Agnes attended Barnard College where she paid her own way through work and scholarships. After graduating in 1907, Meyer became one of the first women reporters hired by the New York Sun. In 1910, she married successful financier and business executive, Eugene Meyer, and they would eventually have five children together. In 1917, the couple moved to Washington, D.C., and for many years Eugene held various influential positions in the federal government. Soon after Eugene resigned as Chairman of the Federal Reserve under President Hoover, the Meyers bought the Washington Post out of bankruptcy in 1933. Eugene led the company and Agnes worked there as an executive and wrote articles as well. A renaissance woman, Meyer befriended a diverse group of intellectuals including Thomas Mann, Gertrude Stein, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Her passion, wealth, and ownership of the Post provided her with the means to positively influence national opinion and policy for decades. Meyers' good works in that regard were furthered by her son-in-law Philip Graham, (who grew the Post into a highly respected national brand), and subsequently through her daughter, the ineffable Katharine Meyer Graham, and by her grandson, Donald E. Graham, who succeeded his mother Katharine at the Post and is currently Chairman of Graham Holdings.

Originally opposed to FDR's New Deal, (Meyer penned numerous articles criticizing the Works Progress Administration and other New Deal Programs), she had a change of heart during World War II when, traveling across the US and Great Britain to investigate home front living conditions, she witnessed first-hand the government’s abject failure to meet the basic needs of its citizens. Meyer then began writing stories examining the critical problems faced by veterans, students in overcrowded schools, African Americans, migrant workers, and other disadvantaged groups. It was during this transformational time for her that she began to develop what would over the years blossom into a deep friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt. Like Eleanor, Meyer set out to change things for the better.

In but one shining example, Meyer lobbied relentlessly for the creation of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Indeed, President Johnson credited Agnes with singularly influencing his thinking around education policy and for building crucial public support for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). A cornerstone of Johnson's War on Poverty, this watershed piece of legislation was a major step forward in equalizing educational opportunities for all children by providing direct federal funds to states to allocate to school districts serving millions of American children from low-income families. A game changer to this day. 

Throughout the 1960s, Meyers continued to foster educational opportunities through the creation and financial support of various non-profit organizations. In addition, she advocated for equal employment rights regardless of race or gender, where her investigative journalism raised awareness of the many inequities of racial segregation and gender inequality. Agnes’ legacy lives on through her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and their families.

In Eleanor’s own, heart-felt words: “Mrs. Eugene Meyer celebrated her 70th birthday last Saturday evening in Washington and I was particularly happy to be able to be there.

It is interesting that, as you grow older, sometimes you have the good fortune to outgrow some of the misunderstandings of your youth and to learn the real values of people. Mrs. Meyer . . . and I started off not only on opposite sides of the political fence, but we thought our philosophies of life were completely different.

It took us a good many years to learn about each other, but gradually we acquired respect and then a real and deep affection, and friendship grew between us. We were working for the same things. Our objectives were the same and I am now proud that I can call Agnes Meyer one of my real friends.

Many of us were gathered together at her house on Saturday night and we came as people representing interests and tastes of many different kinds. But we all were there to express our warm affection and admiration for a woman who has worked and lived and learned all through her life. I, for one, hope and pray that she may keep her strength and her vitality, for the country needs the mind and heart of Agnes Meyer.” (My Day, syndicated column by Eleanor Roosevelt, January 9, 1957).

And from Kirkus Books Review (1953): “Democracy is hard work -- so says Mrs. Meyer, who has lived her faith in democracy to the full. And not shirked the hard work. This is the story of a full life. An honest story, revealing the insecurities of her adolescent years, and how in her mature years she found again the roots of early childhood happiness. It is a story of a period of feverish seeking in fields of art and letters; it is a story of a marriage to a financier, a public servant, a newspaper publisher -- and of how that marriage enriched and motivated her life. It is a story of training for social welfare in the field of politics under a political boss of the best type; of how she went on to fight for community service, better education in public schools the country over, sounder health education and a nation-wide system of public health, a fair deal for minorities, a sane approach to immigration, and so on....If your faith in America is shaken, this is a book that makes you realize what we as citizens can do.” (Kirkus Review, Out of These Roots, 1953)