Patricia Ireland (born October 19, 1945) is an American administrator and feminist. She served as president of theNational Organization for Women from 1991 to 2001 and published an autobiography,What Women Want, in 1996.
Ireland was born on October 19, 1945, inOak Park, Illinois. Her parents were James Ireland, ametallurgical engineer, and Joan Filipek, a volunteer counselor atPlanned Parenthood. She grew up inValparaiso, Indiana, and graduated fromValparaiso High School at the age of sixteen in 1962.[1][2][3] She began studying atDePauw University and married Don Anderson, a student atBall State University, and the couple transferred to theUniversity of Tennessee. She quickly divorced her first husband and received her bachelor's degree from the university in 1966.[1] She received aJ.D. degree from theUniversity of Miami School of Law in 1975. She also attendedFlorida State University College of Law.[4][5]
Before beginning a career as an attorney, Ireland worked as aflight attendant forPan Am. After discovering gender-based discrepancies in the treatment ofinsurance coverage for spouses of employees, Ireland fought successfully for a change in coverage. Knowing that ignorance of the law was a disadvantage, she immediately began law school and performing volunteer work for theNational Organization for Women (NOW).[6][7] She moved to Washington, DC, as an elected officer of NOW. Ireland advocated extensively for the rights of poor women,gays andlesbians, andAfrican-American women. She has also advocated electing female candidates, and training people to defend clinics fromanti-abortion protesters around the United States. Ireland became the president of NOW in 1991. She ran for re-election in 1993, winning with 671 votes against Efia Nwangaza, who received 235 votes.[8][9]
Immediately following Ireland's appointment to president of NOW, questions arose about her sexual orientation.[10] On December 17, 1991, she gave an interview withThe Advocate, in which she states that she had a female companion while remaining married to her second husband.[11][12][13][14][15] She published a book,What Women Want, in 1996.[16]
In 2003, Ireland served for six months as theCEO of theYWCA. In October 2003, Ireland was dismissed after refusing to step down, although YWCA spokespeople denied that conservative pressure was a factor in the decision.[17][18][19] Following her dismissal from the YWCA, Ireland was formerSenatorCarol Moseley Braun's national campaign manager for her brief2004 presidential bid.[20][21]
Ireland returned to Miami and resumed practicing law, representing unions and their members until her retirement in 2023.
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| Preceded by | President of the National Organization for Women 1991–2001 | Succeeded by |
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