Constance Cook
Encyclopedia
Constance E. Cook was an American
Republican Party
politician who served in the New York State Assembly
, where she co-authored a bill signed into law that legalized abortion in New York
three years before the Roe v. Wade
decision by the Supreme Court of the United States
in 1973 legalized the practice nationwide.
to Walter and Catherine Sellmann Cook. She grew up in New York City, where she graduated from Hunter College High School
. She attended Cornell University
, receiving her undergraduate degree in 1941, before being awarded a law degree from Cornell Law School
in 1943. She was appointed to serve as Cornell's vice president for land grant affairs, making her the first female vice president in Cornell history.
She worked with a Wall Street law firm for five years after graduating from law school, before returning to Ithaca, where she met and married her husband.
from 1963 to 1965, the 138th Assembly District in 1966, the 125th District from 1967 until 1972 and the 128th District from 1973 to 1974. In the Assembly, she represented Tompkins, Yates
and Seneca
counties, and was an advocate for the expansion of the State University of New York
.
Cook drafted a bill expanding abortion rights together with Democrat
Assemblyman Franz Leichter
of Manhattan
, proposed legislation that included no restrictions on the practice of abortion. The bill passed in the Senate on March 18, 1970 after five hours of debate by a vote of 31–26. For the Assembly, the bill was amended to allow for women to have abortions until their 24th week of pregnancy or at any time to protect the life of the mother. As the roll call progressed in the Assembly on April 9, 1970, the legislature deadlocked at 74 in favor and 74 opposed, with one member absent and the Assembly speaker not voting. George Michaels
, an Assemblyman from Cayuga County
who represented a largely conservative Roman Catholic district, had earlier voted against the proposal, but rose to speak, stating "I realize, Mr. Speaker, that I am terminating my political career, but I cannot in good conscience sit here and allow my vote to be the one that defeats this bill", and asked "that my vote be changed from 'no' to 'yes'"; his prediction regarding his political career was accurate. With the switch by Michaels, the measure passed by a margin of 76 to 73 in the Assembly. Governor of New York
Nelson Rockefeller
signed the law the next day and the U.S. Supreme Court patterned its ruling in its landmark January 1973 decision Roe v. Wade
on the New York law.
by a reformist bishop, but had been one of 11 women who were not granted a license by the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York
. Cook took the matter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(EEOC/EEO) who issued a decision favoring Schiess.
The General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
passed a resolution in July 1976 that "no one shall be denied access" to ordination in the church based on gender. In November 1976, Ned Cole, the Bishop who had blocked Schiess' ordination, indicated that he would have her ordained in ceremonies to be held in January 1977.
Interviewed after Cook's death, Schiess was quoted by The New York Times
as stating that the legal challenge played a major role in driving the Episcopal Church to change its stance, noting that "Nothing significant would have happened without the attention of Constance Cook".
. Her husband, Alfred, had died in 1998. She was survived by two children, three grandchildren and a sister.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician who served in the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
, where she co-authored a bill signed into law that legalized abortion in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
three years before the Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...
decision by the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
in 1973 legalized the practice nationwide.
Early life
Cook was born on August 17, 1919 as Constance Eberhardt in Shaker Heights, OhioShaker Heights, Ohio
Shaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population was 28,448. It is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland that abuts the city on its eastern side.-Topography:Shaker Heights is located at...
to Walter and Catherine Sellmann Cook. She grew up in New York City, where she graduated from Hunter College High School
Hunter College High School
Hunter College High School is a New York City secondary school for intellectually gifted students located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It is administered by Hunter College, a senior college of the City University of New York. Although it is not operated by the New York City Department of...
. She attended Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, receiving her undergraduate degree in 1941, before being awarded a law degree from Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School, located in Ithaca, New York, is a graduate school of Cornell University and one of the five Ivy League law schools. The school confers three law degrees...
in 1943. She was appointed to serve as Cornell's vice president for land grant affairs, making her the first female vice president in Cornell history.
She worked with a Wall Street law firm for five years after graduating from law school, before returning to Ithaca, where she met and married her husband.
New York State Assembly
She was hired as a legal assistant to Assemblyman Ray S. Ashbery and ran for his Assembly seat after he left office, winning the race to succeed him. She served in the Assembly from 1963 until 1974, representing Tompkins CountyTompkins County, New York
Tompkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and comprises the whole of the Ithaca metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,564. The county seat is Ithaca, and the county is home to Cornell University, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community...
from 1963 to 1965, the 138th Assembly District in 1966, the 125th District from 1967 until 1972 and the 128th District from 1973 to 1974. In the Assembly, she represented Tompkins, Yates
Yates County, New York
Yates County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,348. The county seat is Penn Yan. The name is in honor of Joseph C. Yates, who as Governor of New York signed the act establishing the county....
and Seneca
Seneca County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,342 people, 12,630 households, and 8,626 families residing in the county. The population density was 103 people per square mile . There were 14,794 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
counties, and was an advocate for the expansion of the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
.
Cook drafted a bill expanding abortion rights together with Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Assemblyman Franz Leichter
Franz Leichter
Franz S. Leichter is an American Democratic Party politician who served in both the New York State Assembly and the New York Senate.Leichter was born in Austria and graduated with a degree from Harvard Law School in 1957...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, proposed legislation that included no restrictions on the practice of abortion. The bill passed in the Senate on March 18, 1970 after five hours of debate by a vote of 31–26. For the Assembly, the bill was amended to allow for women to have abortions until their 24th week of pregnancy or at any time to protect the life of the mother. As the roll call progressed in the Assembly on April 9, 1970, the legislature deadlocked at 74 in favor and 74 opposed, with one member absent and the Assembly speaker not voting. George Michaels
George Michaels
George M. Michaels was an American Democratic Party politician from New York, who served in the New York State Assembly from 1961 to 1966 and 1969 to 1970, where he was best known for his changed vote that played a pivotal role in the passage of an expanded abortion rights law in New York...
, an Assemblyman from Cayuga County
Cayuga County, New York
Cayuga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was named for one of the tribes of Indians in the Iroquois Confederation. Its county seat is Auburn.- History :...
who represented a largely conservative Roman Catholic district, had earlier voted against the proposal, but rose to speak, stating "I realize, Mr. Speaker, that I am terminating my political career, but I cannot in good conscience sit here and allow my vote to be the one that defeats this bill", and asked "that my vote be changed from 'no' to 'yes'"; his prediction regarding his political career was accurate. With the switch by Michaels, the measure passed by a margin of 76 to 73 in the Assembly. Governor of New York
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
signed the law the next day and the U.S. Supreme Court patterned its ruling in its landmark January 1973 decision Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...
on the New York law.
Ordination of women
In 1976, she extended her support to the Rev. Betty Bone Schiess who had been ordained as a priest in the Episcopal ChurchEpiscopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
by a reformist bishop, but had been one of 11 women who were not granted a license by the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York
Episcopal Diocese of Central New York
The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the area in the center of New York....
. Cook took the matter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an independent federal law enforcement agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, perceived intelligence,...
(EEOC/EEO) who issued a decision favoring Schiess.
The General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. With the exception of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Constitution and Canons, it is the ultimate authority in the Episcopal Church. General Convention...
passed a resolution in July 1976 that "no one shall be denied access" to ordination in the church based on gender. In November 1976, Ned Cole, the Bishop who had blocked Schiess' ordination, indicated that he would have her ordained in ceremonies to be held in January 1977.
Interviewed after Cook's death, Schiess was quoted by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
as stating that the legal challenge played a major role in driving the Episcopal Church to change its stance, noting that "Nothing significant would have happened without the attention of Constance Cook".
Quote
- "I didn't really have a sense at that time that we had done something momentous, though it was long overdue ... [L]ooking back now, it seems like a bigger deal." (Constance Cook in re the 1970 New York State abortion bill; as she recounted to the New York Times in April 2000).
Death
Constance Cook died at age 89 at her home in Ithaca, New YorkIthaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
. Her husband, Alfred, had died in 1998. She was survived by two children, three grandchildren and a sister.