# Minnesota Women's Political Caucus _The nonpartisan organization formed in Minnesota in 1971 to increase the number of women in political life — its founding, its mission and activities, its local chapters and educational adjunct, its place between the two parties' feminist caucuses, and what the record does and does not establish about it_ | Minnesota Women's Political Caucus | | |---|---| | Founded | August 1971, by the Minnesota Historical Society's finding aid; 1972, by a 2010 campaign release | | Affiliation | the National Women's Political Caucus, founded 1971 | | Character | nonpartisan; described in 2010 as having a "statewide, multi-partisan membership" | | Mission (records) | increasing women's participation in political life; action against sexism, racism and ageism; reproductive choice; sliding-fee child care; an unamended Equal Rights Amendment | | Activities | appointments of women; endorsements; political action committees; lobbying; fundraising for endorsed candidates | | Educational adjunct | Minnesota Women's Education Council, formed 1978 | | Records | Minnesota Historical Society, 1971–1996 | | Parent articles | [[DFL Feminists]] · [[GOP Feminists]] · [[At Issue - Minnesota's Feminist Regime]] · [[How Minnesota Got Here]] | The **Minnesota Women's Political Caucus** (MWPC) was a nonpartisan organization formed in Minnesota in 1971 to increase the number of women in public life. The Minnesota Historical Society's finding aid for its records states that it "was formed in August 1971, just one month after the National Women's Political Causus was founded", and that, "Like the national organization, the MWPC's main goal was to increase the number of women in all aspects of poltical life", the misspellings being the finding aid's own.[^1] Minnesota NOW's history of women in the Legislature places its organization in 1971, when "the nonpartisan Women's Political Caucus was organized," and notes that six women joined the Legislature in 1973.[^2] This article is a child of [[DFL Feminists]] and [[GOP Feminists]], which treat the two parties' feminist caucuses and officials, and of [[At Issue - Minnesota's Feminist Regime]], the instrument ledger of the [[How Minnesota Got Here]] series. The MWPC held no office and enacted nothing; its role in the record is as a nonpartisan organization that recruited, endorsed and lobbied, and, by one account, as one of two bodies with which the DFL caucus's founders were frustrated when they formed that caucus in 1973.[^1][^3] ## Founding and national affiliation The National Women's Political Caucus states that it was founded in 1971 by Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, Betty Friedan, Fannie Lou Hamer, Bella Abzug and "about 300 of their closest friends", and that "Congress' failure to pass the Equal Rights Amendment in 1970 sparked the founding of NWPC."[^4] The Minnesota caucus formed the following month.[^1] A 2010 campaign release reproduced by MPR News gave its founding year as 1972.[^5] The national caucus stated its purpose to Congress in the same years. Before the Senate's education subcommittee in October 1973, its vice chairperson, Barbara Greene Kilberg, testified that "The National Women's Political Caucus exists to increase women's participation in American political life."[^6] When President Carter appointed the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year in 1977, its presiding officer, Bella Abzug, was listed as "founder and former chair, National Women's Political Caucus", and its members included the national caucus's president and Koryne Horbal of Minneapolis.[^7] Local caucuses followed. The finding aid records that "The Hennepin County branch was formed in 1973" and "The Ramsey County branch was formed in 1973", with files for caucuses in Blue Earth–Nicollet, Lincoln–Lyon, the Moorhead area, South St. Louis County and Winona County.[^1] The archive at Minnesota State University Moorhead describes the Moorhead Area Women's Political Caucus as "formed in the early 1970s" and connected with the state and national caucuses, with goals "to get women involved in politics and to elect women to public office."[^8] ## Mission and activities The finding aid lists the caucus's mission as including "taking action against sexism, racism, and ageism to protect and promote the economic, social and political status of women; working to ensure laws that support reproductive choice for all women; working to promote sliding fee child care; and working to pass an unamended Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."[^1] Its "Major activities included working to get women appointed to public policy positions, an annual convention for members, endorsing candidates for office, developing political action committees with other organizations, lobbying at the state capitol on legislation to benefit women," and fundraising for endorsed candidates.[^1] The files show that work in detail: "Endorsement procedures, 1973-1978"; a "Lola Perpich reception, 1977"; a "Governor's reception for appointed women, 1979-1981", during Governor Al Quie's term; an "Exploring the New Right conference, 1980"; and files kept by two former chairs, Marilyn Bryant and Jeanne Campbell.[^1][^9] The catalog headings index the records under both the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and the "Independent Republicans of Minnesota."[^1] ## The education council In 1978 the caucus formed the Minnesota Women's Education Council "to educate women on the political process and on issues that have political implications for women", offering forums and workshops on running for office, managing campaigns and seeking appointment to boards and commissions.[^1] Its files include a "Run, Jane, Run" workshop of November 1983 and "Running to Win! A Campaign Manual For Women Running For Office in Minnesota, 1985."[^1] The council was formed in the same year as the Open Appointments Act of 1978, under which the Secretary of State publishes vacancies on state boards to all applicants; the Legislative Reference Library records that women's share of appointments rose from 29 to 33 percent in the law's first five years.[^10] In February 1979 Governor Quie's Executive Order 79-1, setting up a committee on appointments to state multi-member agencies, recited that women, youth, minorities and others "should be encouraged to serve".[^11] ## Between the parties The record places the MWPC between the two partisan caucuses formed in 1973. The 2018 text of the state's historical encyclopedia states that "frustration with both the DFL Women's Caucus and the non-partisan Minnesota Women's Political Caucus" led Koryne Horbal and six other women to form the DFL Feminist Caucus; the encyclopedia's current text mentions only the DFL Women's Caucus.[^3][^12] The GOP Feminist Caucus's records include a subject file titled "Minnesota Women's Political Caucus, 1973-1976."[^13] The DFL State Central Committee's records list a "Women's Political Caucus" among the party's satellite organizations, with records from 1971 to 1976, and hold a women's-rights subject file of 1967–1972 that includes materials from the Minnesota caucus.[^14] Arvonne Fraser's papers hold folders on the Minnesota caucus for 1971–1972, 1974–1976 and 1991, and on the national caucus for 1971–1973.[^15] Horbal's papers include a 1973 name list of the National Women's Political Caucus and a 1981 folder noting that "Horbal was a member of this organization."[^16] The corpus describes the MWPC as the neutral channel where both partisan caucuses met; the records read show that the Republican caucus and the DFL party kept files on it and that, by one account, the DFL caucus's founders were frustrated with it, but they do not describe joint meetings.[^17][^13][^14][^3] **Later endorsements.** In 2010 the caucus endorsed Susan Gaertner, a DFL candidate for governor; the release reproduced by MPR News stated that the endorsement "was based on a vote of the statewide, multi-partisan membership of the MWPC."[^5] The [[Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund]], founded in 1982 by "a multi-partisan group of 25 women", is a separate organization, now Women Winning.[^18] ## Record and readings **Reading one.** On the reading in [[DFL Feminists]] and [[GOP Feminists]], the MWPC was part of the cross-party network that supplied candidates and appointees for the women's-economic program: it worked to place women in public policy positions, endorsed candidates and lobbied for legislation; one partisan caucus kept files on it, and the other's founders were frustrated with it.[^1][^13][^3] **Reading two.** On the other reading, it was an ordinary nonpartisan advocacy group whose stated aim was participation rather than any statute, whose program included positions — reproductive choice, the Equal Rights Amendment — on which the parties later divided, and whose founding year and relations with the partisan caucuses are recorded only in outline.[^1][^5] Neither reading is supported by a claim that the records document joint meetings of the two partisan caucuses under its auspices.[^1][^13] ## Open items 1. **Founding year.** The finding aid gives August 1971; the 2010 release gives 1972.[^1][^5] 2. **Founders and early chairs.** The finding aid names two later chairs but no founders; the steering-committee files of 1973–1980 were not read.[^1] 3. **Endorsement records.** Whom the caucus endorsed in the 1970s and 1980s is in its files and was not read.[^1] 4. **Current status.** No current publication of the caucus was located.[^5] ## See also - [[DFL Feminists]] · [[GOP Feminists]] — parent articles - [[Feminist Caucus of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party]] · [[GOP Feminist Caucus]] · [[Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund]] - [[Koryne Kaneski Horbal]] · [[At Issue - Minnesota's Feminist Regime]] · [[How Minnesota Got Here]] ## Notes [^1]: Minnesota Historical Society, *Minnesota Women's Political Caucus: An Inventory of Its Records* (1971–1996) — formed August 1971; mission, including an unamended Equal Rights Amendment and reproductive choice; appointments, endorsements, lobbying; the Minnesota Women's Education Council (1978). https://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00388.xml [^2]: Minnesota NOW, Fast Start Stalls for 50 Years (updated April 10, 2021) — a history of the number of women in the Minnesota Legislature since 1922, placing the organizing of the nonpartisan Women's Political Caucus in 1971 and recording six women joining the Legislature in 1973. https://mnnow.org/fast-start-stalls-for-50-years/ [^3]: MinnPost (MNopedia partnership), "The formation of the DFL Party Feminist Caucus" (March 2024) — the 2018 MNopedia text naming six co-founders besides Horbal, frustration with both the DFL Women's Caucus and the MWPC, and "As of 2018, it remains an active organization." https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2024/03/the-formation-of-the-dfl-party-feminist-caucus/ [^4]: National Women's Political Caucus, Our History page — its founding in 1971 by Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, Betty Friedan, Fannie Lou Hamer, Bella Abzug and others, which it ties to Congress's failure to pass the Equal Rights Amendment in 1970; its purpose of increasing women's participation in political and public life; state and local chapters. https://nwpc.org/our-history/ [^5]: Tom Scheck, "MN Women's Political Caucus backs Gaertner", MPR News, Feb. 21, 2010 — reproduces the Gaertner campaign's release on the MWPC endorsement, which describes the caucus's "statewide, multi-partisan membership" and says it "was founded in 1972." https://www.mprnews.org/story/2010/02/21/mn-womens-political-caucus-backs-gaertner [^6]: *Women's Educational Equity Act of 1973*, Senate Subcommittee on Education hearings on S. 2518, 93rd Cong., 1st sess. (Oct. 17 and Nov. 9, 1973), FRASER, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis — statements of Arvonne Fraser, president of the Women's Equity Action League, and of Barbara Greene Kilberg for the National Women's Political Caucus. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/womens-educational-equity-act-1973-292/fulltext [^7]: The American Presidency Project, "National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year, 1975 Appointment of Members and Presiding Officer of the Commission" (March 1977) — members, including Horbal as chair of the DNC Women's Caucus and Democratic National Committeewoman. https://presidency.ucsb.edu/node/243434 [^8]: Northwest Minnesota Historical Center, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead Area Women's Political Caucus (S2680) — historical sketch of a local caucus formed in the early 1970s and connected with the Minnesota and national caucuses; a collection of its 1972 constitution, steering-committee list, newsletter and a Minnesota caucus fact sheet. https://mnstate.edu/library/university-archives/northwest-mn/collections/s2680 [^9]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, "Minnesota Governors" — list with dates of office and party: Perpich (DFL) from 12/29/1976; Quie (Independent-Republican) from 1/4/1979; Perpich from 1/3/1983; Carlson (Independent-Republican) from 1/7/1991; Ventura (Reform) from 1/4/1999; Pawlenty from 1/6/2003; Dayton from 1/3/2011; Walz (DFL) from 1/7/2019. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/lrl/mngov/gov.aspx [^10]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, Women's Legislative Timeline, "1978 – Open Appointments Act" (Laws 1978, ch. 592) — Perpich's 1977 initiative; vacancy notices by the Secretary of State; women's share of appointments from 29 to 33 percent; a 1991 gender-balance bill that failed. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/womenstimeline/details?recid=30 [^11]: Executive Order No. 79-1 (Gov. Albert H. Quie, February 1979), establishing the Governor's Committee on Appointments to State Multi-Member Agencies and repealing Executive Orders 144, 144A and 189 — recital that women, youth, minorities, the elderly and the handicapped should be encouraged to serve. OCR text. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/archive/execorders/79-01.pdf [^12]: Cory Haala, "DFL Feminist Caucus," MNopedia (Minnesota Historical Society; first published Apr. 23, 2018, modified Apr. 22, 2025) — the 1971 report; April 1973 founding; principles and endorsement rule; members; lobbying; conflicts within the DFL; 1980s candidacies. https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/group/dfl-feminist-caucus [^13]: Minnesota Historical Society, *GOP Feminist Caucus of Minnesota: An Inventory of Its Records* (finding aid 00828, encoded 2011) — records 1971–2000; historical note on the 1973 founding and the 1975 and 1986 renamings; the four planks; administrative and subject files, including "DFL feminists" and the Women's Political Caucus. https://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00828.xml [^14]: Minnesota Historical Society, Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party: An Inventory of Its State Central Committee Records (finding aid 00586; 1943–1998) — satellite-organization files, including Women's Political Caucus records of 1971–1976 and a DFL Women's Federation folder on the Feminist Caucus, 1970–1974; a women's-rights subject file; and a newsletter of State Chairwoman Betty Kane, 1964–1968. http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00586.html [^15]: Minnesota Historical Society, "Arvonne S. Fraser papers" (finding aid 00034; 1921–2015, bulk 1970–1999, 85 boxes) — biographical chronology of her DFL, WEAL, White House, USAID, U.N. and Humphrey Institute positions, her 1986 candidacy and her death in 2018; scope note on women's organizations and policy. https://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00034.xml [^16]: Minnesota Historical Society, "Koryne Horbal papers" (finding aid 01243; records 1962–2009) — abstract describing her as a founding member of the DFL Feminist Caucus, U.S. representative on the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women and former DFL chairwoman; folder list. https://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/01243.xml [^17]: Minnesota record, *The Instrument No One Will Name* (densified companion, June 18, 2026), §4 and notes 19–28 — the two feminist caucuses (1973), the 1982 Pay Equity Act vote, the Quie appointments, the cross-party channels and the women's-economic-status organ. [^18]: Women Winning, "About" — "In 1982, a multi-partisan group of 25 women established the Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund"; support for pro-choice candidates; evolution into Women Winning; "We are non-partisan." No founders are named. https://womenwinning.org/about