Esther Lape

Esther Everett Lape (1881–1981) was a prominent American peace activist, journalist, and educator. She advocated for progressive causes such as immigration rights, workers' rights, and international cooperation. Lape was associated with organizations like the Women's Trade Union League and was a founder of the League of Women Voters. Alongside her partner, attorney Elizabeth Fisher Read, she mentored Eleanor Roosevelt politically.

Lape worked as a journalist, researcher, publicist, and teacher, promoting peace, social justice, and feminism. After graduating from Wellesley College in 1905, she taught English at several institutions, including Swarthmore College and Columbia University. In 1923, she administered the Bok Peace Prize contest, which drew over 22,000 submissions, and published a book, *Ways to Peace*, featuring selected entries.

Lape also directed the American Foundation for Studies in Government from 1923 until her retirement in 1956, advocating for U.S. participation in the World Court and recognition of the Soviet Union. She co-edited publications, including *Medical Research: A Midcentury Survey* and the journal *City, State and Nation*. Her work often intersected with her personal life, as she and Read hosted Eleanor Roosevelt at their homes in New York City and Westbrook, Connecticut.

Born into a Quaker family in Wilmington, Delaware, Lape lived with Read in Greenwich Village and later donated their country estate, Salt Meadow, to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She died in 1981 at age 99, leaving behind a legacy of activism and intellectual contributions.