Estelle Griswold

Estelle Naomi Trebert Griswold (June 8, 1900 – August 13, 1981) was a civil rights activist and feminist most commonly known as a defendant in what became the Supreme Court case Griswold v. Connecticut, in which contraception for married couples was legalized in the state of Connecticut, setting the precedent of the right to privacy.

Griswold served as the executive director of Planned Parenthood in New Haven when she and Yale professor C. Lee Buxton opened a birth control clinic in New Haven in an attempt to change the Connecticut law banning contraception.

Their actions set into motion legislation that resulted in both Poe v. Ullman and Griswold v. Connecticut.

Griswold's personal role in both cases was vital to achieving success and starting a women's rights movement that went on to aid the support for such cases as Roe v. Wade, for which Griswold v. Connecticut is often considered a precursor.

Estelle ("Stelle") Trebert was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on June 8, 1900, to Frank (a toolmaker of Irish and German descent) and Jennie Church Trebert.

Throughout Estelle's childhood, her father educated her thoroughly in Native American customs and strongly advocated for outdoor activity.

Her mother, Jennie Trebert, is most commonly described as being reserved and "placid."

Estelle was the younger of two surviving children (a brother had died before she was born); her older brother was Raymond Trebert.

Their parents were said to have had a tumultuous marriage and serious "personality differences", but they never were divorced.

Estelle Griswold was raised in the Roman Catholic faith but was not devout later in life.

Estelle attended Hartford public schools throughout her youth.

Due to academic process, she skipped both fourth and seventh grades but was graduated from high school in five years instead of four due to her habitual truancy and her encouragement of other students, mainly boys, to skip school.

After graduation from high school in 1920, Estelle began taking music classes at the Hartt School of Music.

She wanted to go to college and further her academic career, but her family could not afford the tuition.

She worked in a bank in order to pay for the music school.

In 1922, she moved to France to pursue a singing career, ignoring the disapproval of her parents.

She had a very impressive contralto singing voice, and traveled to both Paris and Nice for employment.

While in France, Estelle contracted tuberculosis, limiting her abilities to work.

She also became engaged to an aspiring playwright, but the relationship ended prior to the marriage.

Upon learning that her mother had fallen seriously ill, Estelle left Paris.

Soon thereafter, both her parents died.

Estelle did not return to Paris after their deaths but stayed in Hartford.

Hoping to further her singing career, she did travel briefly, auditioning in New York and touring for six months with a Chicago-based show group.

After this, she returned to Hartford and remained there until her marriage to Richard Griswold.

Estelle married Richard "Dick" Whitmore Griswold (b. Feb. 11, 1898 – d. Oct. 1, 1966) on October 20, 1927, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.

The two had both attended Hartford High School, Richard being two years her senior.

Though they were not close friends, they knew each other during their school years.

Upon graduating from high school, he attended Yale University and spent a brief time in service during World War I.

He went on to work in advertising, traveling throughout New York and New England for various jobs.

After Estelle's return from France, they met again, beginning a relationship, and marrying in the fall of 1927.

Due to this, Richard Griswold decided to take a job with the Guardian Life Insurance Agency, which offered him a salaried position.

They briefly moved to New York, commuting from Mount Vernon to New York City for Richard's business and Estelle's singing jobs.

Griswold took a job as a radio singer for such broadcasts as the NBC Red Network in 1929.

In 1935, Richard and Estelle Griswold moved from Connecticut to Washington D.C. where Estelle began taking classes at George Washington University.

While in D.C., Griswold decided to end her singing career, given that her tutor had died, and she instead began studying medicine.

Her advancement in the subject led her to become a medical instructor with the university.

At the beginning of World War II, Richard Griswold left his advertising business and joined the Office of Political Affairs in the State Department, during which time he was sent abroad to Europe to help with various crises.

In 1945, Griswold joined him in Europe, becoming involved with humanitarian efforts, including the aid of refugees, mainly from Eastern European countries.

In attempting to gain employment at the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (UNRRA), however, she was turned down.

Eventually, Griswold managed to bypass the initial employment offices and went straight to the top of the organization in order to achieve employment.