Jessie 1

The Lady Behind the Legacy

1885 was a memorable year in the annals of American history. During that year, the Washington Monument was dedicated. The world’s first skyscraper – an architectural marvel known as the Home Insurance Building – was constructed in Chicago. And the French frigate Isere arrived in New York Harbor bearing 214 crates of copper and steel that would later be assembled as the Statue of Liberty.

It was also the year that a remarkable woman was born in Brooklyn, Jessie Cooke. She would come of age during whirlwind years – as millions of immigrants arrived at America’s shores hoping for better lives, as two bicycle mechanics ushered in the dawn of aviation with a 12-second power-controlled flight at Kitty Hawk, as American women fought for women’s suffrage, and at a time in U.S. history when African Americans were still denied the right to vote.

In this climate of social turmoil and technological upheaval, Jessie, a Barnard College graduate of considerable charm and wit, came of age and devoted her life to meeting community needs and fighting for the rights of the disenfranchised.