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Reed Erickson
Reed Erickson (October 13, 1917 – January 3, 1992) was an American engineer, activist, and philanthropist, as well as a transgender man who, according to sociology specialist Aaron H. Devor, largely informed "almost every aspect of work being done in the 1960s and 1970s in the field of gender affirmation in the US and, to a lesser degree, in other countries." He founded and ran the Erickson Educational Foundation (EEF), a nonprofit philanthropic organisation. Through the EEF, Erickson contributed millions of dollars to the early development of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) movements between 1964 and 1984.
Reed Erickson was born in El Paso, Texas on October 13, 1917, to a German-Jewish family. When Erickson was still quite young, the family moved to the Olney neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Erickson attended Wagner Junior High[citation needed] and the Philadelphia High School for Girls. In high school, Erickson started using the nickname Eric when among friends. Following his graduation from high school, Erickson began attending a secretarial course at Temple University from 1936 to 1940. In 1938 his mother, Ruth, died.
In 1940,[citation needed] he and his family moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where Erickson's father had transferred their lead smelting business. In Baton Rouge, Erickson worked in the family business and attended Louisiana State University (LSU). In 1946, Erickson became the first person assigned female at birth to graduate from LSU's school of mechanical engineering. Erickson graduated from the university as a member of several student and professional organisations, including Pi Mu Epsilon, Kappa Mu Epsilon, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences (IAS).[verification needed]
After graduating from LSU, Erickson lived in Mexico for two years before moving back to Philadelphia. In Philadelphia he worked as an engineer until losing his job for refusing to fire a woman who was suspected of being a communist.[citation needed] During this time Erickson lived as a lesbian and was in an intimate relationship with a woman for several years. The couple supported Henry A. Wallace's 1948 campaign for presidency and were active in civil rights groups, as well as in gay and lesbian social circles. It is believed their political involvement led to harassment from the FBI and resulted in Erickson being blacklisted from jobs.
Unable to find work as a female engineer, Erickson and his partner moved to Baton Rouge, where he resumed working in the family business. He started an independent company, Southern Seating, making stadium bleachers. During this time Erickson was described as "looking masculine" due to his short hair and tailored clothes. He had begun cross-dressing when travelling outside of Baton Rouge and in the late 1950s he claimed he had travelled to Casablanca and Tijuana to begin taking testosterone.
After Robert Erickson's death in 1962, Erickson inherited a major interest in the family enterprises, Schuylkill Products Co., Inc., and Schuylkill Lead Corp., and ran them successfully until selling them to Arrow Electronics in 1969 for approximately $5 million. Erickson continued to be financially successful, eventually amassing a personal fortune estimated at over $40 million, most of which came from canny investments in oil-rich real estate, with Erickson's income often amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars per month.[citation needed]
In June 1964, Erickson launched the Erickson Educational Foundation (EEF). The foundations' goal was “to provide assistance and support in areas where human potential seems limited by adverse physical, mental or social conditions, or where the scope of research was too new, controversial or imaginative to receive traditionally oriented support.” The EEF was initially funded and controlled entirely by Erickson.
The EEF funded many early research efforts into gender-affirming healthcare, impacting much of the work being done in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s and, to a lesser degree, in other countries. During the years 1964–1970 and 1972–1975 alone, the EEF donated approximately US$250,000 to support projects on transsexuality. In particular, the Harry Benjamin Foundation received over US$60,000 during 1964–1968, and the Johns Hopkins Gender Identity Clinic received approximately US$72,000 during the formative years of 1967–1973. This included the creation of the Harry Benjamin Foundation, the founding of the Johns Hopkins University Gender Identity Clinic, and other important research projects, including the National Transsexual Counseling Unit. The foundation also developed and maintained a referral network of service providers, like physicians and psychologists, mostly located in the United States.
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Reed Erickson
Reed Erickson (October 13, 1917 – January 3, 1992) was an American engineer, activist, and philanthropist, as well as a transgender man who, according to sociology specialist Aaron H. Devor, largely informed "almost every aspect of work being done in the 1960s and 1970s in the field of gender affirmation in the US and, to a lesser degree, in other countries." He founded and ran the Erickson Educational Foundation (EEF), a nonprofit philanthropic organisation. Through the EEF, Erickson contributed millions of dollars to the early development of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) movements between 1964 and 1984.
Reed Erickson was born in El Paso, Texas on October 13, 1917, to a German-Jewish family. When Erickson was still quite young, the family moved to the Olney neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Erickson attended Wagner Junior High[citation needed] and the Philadelphia High School for Girls. In high school, Erickson started using the nickname Eric when among friends. Following his graduation from high school, Erickson began attending a secretarial course at Temple University from 1936 to 1940. In 1938 his mother, Ruth, died.
In 1940,[citation needed] he and his family moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where Erickson's father had transferred their lead smelting business. In Baton Rouge, Erickson worked in the family business and attended Louisiana State University (LSU). In 1946, Erickson became the first person assigned female at birth to graduate from LSU's school of mechanical engineering. Erickson graduated from the university as a member of several student and professional organisations, including Pi Mu Epsilon, Kappa Mu Epsilon, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences (IAS).[verification needed]
After graduating from LSU, Erickson lived in Mexico for two years before moving back to Philadelphia. In Philadelphia he worked as an engineer until losing his job for refusing to fire a woman who was suspected of being a communist.[citation needed] During this time Erickson lived as a lesbian and was in an intimate relationship with a woman for several years. The couple supported Henry A. Wallace's 1948 campaign for presidency and were active in civil rights groups, as well as in gay and lesbian social circles. It is believed their political involvement led to harassment from the FBI and resulted in Erickson being blacklisted from jobs.
Unable to find work as a female engineer, Erickson and his partner moved to Baton Rouge, where he resumed working in the family business. He started an independent company, Southern Seating, making stadium bleachers. During this time Erickson was described as "looking masculine" due to his short hair and tailored clothes. He had begun cross-dressing when travelling outside of Baton Rouge and in the late 1950s he claimed he had travelled to Casablanca and Tijuana to begin taking testosterone.
After Robert Erickson's death in 1962, Erickson inherited a major interest in the family enterprises, Schuylkill Products Co., Inc., and Schuylkill Lead Corp., and ran them successfully until selling them to Arrow Electronics in 1969 for approximately $5 million. Erickson continued to be financially successful, eventually amassing a personal fortune estimated at over $40 million, most of which came from canny investments in oil-rich real estate, with Erickson's income often amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars per month.[citation needed]
In June 1964, Erickson launched the Erickson Educational Foundation (EEF). The foundations' goal was “to provide assistance and support in areas where human potential seems limited by adverse physical, mental or social conditions, or where the scope of research was too new, controversial or imaginative to receive traditionally oriented support.” The EEF was initially funded and controlled entirely by Erickson.
The EEF funded many early research efforts into gender-affirming healthcare, impacting much of the work being done in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s and, to a lesser degree, in other countries. During the years 1964–1970 and 1972–1975 alone, the EEF donated approximately US$250,000 to support projects on transsexuality. In particular, the Harry Benjamin Foundation received over US$60,000 during 1964–1968, and the Johns Hopkins Gender Identity Clinic received approximately US$72,000 during the formative years of 1967–1973. This included the creation of the Harry Benjamin Foundation, the founding of the Johns Hopkins University Gender Identity Clinic, and other important research projects, including the National Transsexual Counseling Unit. The foundation also developed and maintained a referral network of service providers, like physicians and psychologists, mostly located in the United States.