Clare Booth Luce : Hell on Heels

She was a woman who was both ahead of her time and a product of her time. Her feisty spirit and unbridled ambition delighted and chagrined her supporters and her detractors. Clare Booth Luce used her brains and her determination to occupy the seats of power of her time. From her marriage to Henry Luce, founder of the Time-Life empire and one of the most powerful men in the world, to her tenure as one of the few congresswomen of her generation, Clare Booth Luce’s passion and intelligence suited her position well, and she became one of the most respected women in America.

Clare Booth Luce: Hell on Heels would be useful for classes on American History, Women’s History, Political Science, Civics and American Culture. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

• anguish
• beguiling
• bohemian
• cachet
• caliber
• conceited
• condescension
• disillusioned
• endear
• impoverished
• incumbent
• interludes
• intimidating
• irreverent
• lambaste
• luminescent
• mascot
• notorious
• panache
• pious
• pompous
• smitten
• squelch
• ultimatum

1. Clare Booth Luce left her first husband after a few years of marriage. How did Luce defy the gender conventions of her day when she did this? In what other ways did Clare Booth Luce ignore the “proper” roles for women of her generation?

2. Clare Booth Luce managed to get a job at Vogue magazine by a bit of chicanery. How did she wangle a job at the prestigious fashion magazine?

3. When Clare Booth married Henry Luce, his family was shocked and dismayed. Why did their marriage cause so much consternation in his family?

4. Discuss some of the difficulties women faced in the House and the Senate before it was popular for women to be politicians.

5. Discuss some of the contributions Clare Booth Luce made to women’s freedoms and public presence.

6. What price did Clare Booth Luce pay for her high profile and her success?

7. Discuss how Clare Booth Luce’s life might have been different if she had been born a man instead of a woman.

8. What did Clare Booth Luce contribute to the United States and twentieth century history?

9. What did Clare Booth Luce contribute to the United States and twentieth century history?

10. What is the legacy of Clare Booth Luce?

1. Create a timeline of Clare Booth Luce’s life and her achievements.

2. Write an obituary for Clare Booth Luce in which you recount the impact of her life on American history.

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