Collection is open for research.
Dr. Jessie Laird Brodie, nee Jessie Laird, was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1898. Her family soon relocated to Oregon. In 1920, she graduated from Reed College. In 1921, she and Dr. Francis Walter Brodie were married; they later had six children. She earned a master's degree from the University of Oregon. In 1965, she became the first executive director of Planned Parenthood in Oregon. She established family planning programs throughout Oregon and in Central and South America during her career. She was involved in the passage in Oregon of landmark legislation in favor of birth control. She died in 1990.
A handwritten index (2 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Oral history interview with Jessie Laird Brodie, by Roberta Watts, SR 9027, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Jessie Laird Brodie, M.D. papers, Call Number 244, Drexel University: College of Medicine Legacy Center. Collection guide available online at:
This oral history interview with Dr. Jessie Laird Brodie was conducted by Roberta Watts from February 14 to March 30, 1978. The interview was conducted in two sessions, and the collection includes a transcript.
In the first interview session, conducted on February 14, 1978, Brodie discusses the history of laws regarding birth control and the beginnings of Planned Parenthood in Oregon. She talks about her reasons for going into the medical field, her medical education, and her later focus on providing birth control. She also discusses sex education in schools. She talks about her involvement with the United Nations and the Pan-American Women's Medical Association, including her work with family planning programs in Central and South America.
In the second interview session, conducted on March 30, 1978, Brodie discusses her research into how the birth control pill interacts with sickle-cell anemia. She talks about the success of international family planning programs, as well as opposition they face in some countries. She also discusses the career of her husband, Dr. Francis Walter Brodie. She closes the interview by revisiting the topic of her involvement with the World Health Organization and the Pan-American Women's Medical Association, including her work with family planning programs in Central and South America.
Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA,