Polly Shackleton papers

Polly Shackleton (1910-1997) was a politician and social activist in Washington, D.C. during the second half of the twentieth century. She came to Washington in 1939, after a brief enrollment at the New School of Social Research in New York and working on FDR's campaign during the 1930's. Polly Shackleton's professional endeavors prior to her work with District of Columbia politics included an editorial position of Who's Who in American Art and the American Art Annual, work with the Office of War Information as an information specialist and researcher during World War II, and an eleven year position with the American Institute of Architects from 1951 to 1962.

Polly Shackleton became involved in the politics of Washington, D.C. during the 1950's while working on Adlai Stevenson's Democratic campaign. After Stevenson won the Democratic nomination, Shackleton became both a Democratic Central Committee member and an alternate Democratic National Committeewoman. In 1956, she was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and served on the platform committee. Polly Shackleton remained at the forefront of local political affairs in the District of Columbia, and in 1967 she was appointed to the first .DC Council by President Johnson. As one of the first appointed council members of D.C., some of her responsibilities included serving on various council committees, particularly ones concerned with health and welfare, citizen's rights, and childcare. Though not reappointed to the following council term, Polly Shackleton won a seat on the District's first elected council in 1974. She was reelected to that seat twice, once in 1978 and a second time in 1982. She served on the elected DC Council until 1986 when she retired from public office. While serving on the city's elected council, Polly Shackleton was responsible for the passing of approximately 60 pieces of legislation that eventually became District law through her sponsorship and co-sponsorship.

Polly Shackleton's dedication to the social and political conditions in Washington D.C. is made evident through her life and work. She was a major advocate for District Home Rule and National Representation in Congress, lobbying for these causes throughout her career. Most of her greatest social efforts involved improving conditions for and protecting the existing rights of those whose interests were most often overlooked by the government, such as the poor, children, and the elderly and infirm. She fought against transportation legislation that sought to build highways through the District, and would result in the displacement of many residents in low-income areas. She was an advocate of the METRO system, taking an active role in its planning and development, and also sought to develop bicycle paths and routes throughout the city. She was involved with First Lady Johnson's District beautification efforts, and much of the collection includes information on Project Pride, a city-wide summer program that aimed to provide District youth with activities that would help build skills and foster a sense of community within neighborhoods while working to beautify certain areas of Washington, D.C. Polly Shackleton also took a stand to improve health care for the young and old alike, securing licensing standards for nursing homes, building better nursing facilities for the infirm, and advocating for better services and management in D.C. General Hospital.

At the time of her death, Polly Shackleton was referred to as a bridge between her predominately white higher income constituents in Ward 3 and the rest of the city's residents whose interests she fought for throughout her career. She was remembered for the many social and political improvement efforts she undertook as a politician, and also for the individualized attention she paid to those who came to her for help; the collection contains numerous thank you letters from District residents who had turned to Polly Shackleton with a problem and found their needs had been met. She outlived her husband, Robert Shackleton, by nine years, and lived long enough to see the fruits of her social and political labor.

Polly Shackleton was born in Brookline, Massachusetts.