Katharine McCormick
Civil Rights Leader
Prominent supporter of women's rights movement who financed the campaign to legalize oral contraceptives.
She became involved in the campaign for women's suffrage while attending MIT, and from her meeting with Margaret Sanger, the pioneer of reproductive rights, became interested in contraception.
Her deep pockets allowed her to finance research on birth-control pills and was continually involved in both its development and trials.
She was married to Stanley McCormick, heir to the International Harvester Company fortune, but he began displaying symptoms of dementia soon after.
With her generous funding, scientists like John Rock were able to create the first birth control pills.