Divorcees Anonymous

Divorcees Anonymous was an organization in the United States which received notable press attention in the 1950s. The group's goal was to prevent divorce, primarily by teaching women to win back or change their husbands, reflecting the societal views of the time.

History

The group was founded in 1949 by Samuel Starr, a Chicago divorce attorney who believed almost all divorced couples regretted that decision. The name, without a doubt, derived from organizations as Alcoholics Anonymous. According to Starr, the group started when he was loath to take on a new divorce case for a prospective client couple, believing them to be focused only on "some little peeves." His next client that day was a regretful divorcee, who either at her own suggestion or Starr's, successfully counseled the couple to remain together. Starr then recruited other divorced female clients to do the same work, and the group grew from five members to 100 within a month.[1][2][3][4][5][6] The organization was profiled in the February 1950 issues of Good Housekeeping[7] and Redbook, the latter of which was condensed and reprinted in Reader's Digest in May 1950.[8][9][10]

By 1956, the group had claimed to have "saved" 3,000 marriages.[1] Starr moved into a smaller office in 1959, claiming his divorce business had dropped by 75 percent.[11] In 1961, it was reported that "DA" had 30 chapters across the United States.[12]

A 1957 episode of Armstrong Circle Theatre, also titled "Divorcees Anonymous," featured two women (played by Bibi Osterwald and June Dayton) who try to persuade a third woman not to divorce. Frank Overton played Sam Starr.[13]

Legacy

Divorcees Anonymous dropped from press reports during the 1960s,[14][15] and has received little attention since that time. Historian Kristin Celello's 2009 book Making Marriage Work: A History of Marriage and Divorce in the Twentieth-Century United States provides a brief history of DA. Cellelo notes that marriage counseling views which developed in the 1960s and 1970s, including that some marriages are better off ended, reflected a great change from the goals of Divorcees Anonymous.[1]

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References
  1. Celello, Kristin. Making Marriage Work: A History of Marriage and Divorce in the Twentieth-Century United States, pp. 85-86, 122, 185 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009) (as to spelling, Celello notes on p. 185 n. 58 that the organization did not use acute accent over the first "e" of its name)
  2. (30 September 1955). Divorcee Group Is Big Help In Patching Marriages, Medina Daily Journal-Register (United Press content)
  3. (6 September 1949). 'Divorcees Anonymous' Sit as 'Jury', Sullivan Daily Times (photograph of masked women sitting in jury box, who "listens to story of divorce applicant to help find right thing to do.")
  4. DiFonzo, J. Herbie. Beneath the Fault Line: The Popular and Legal Culture of Divorce in Twentieth-Century America, p. 229 n. 88 (1997) ("For a brief time in the 1950s, Divorcees Anonymous garnered considerable media attention.")
  5. Chesnut, Glenn F. Father Ed Dowling: Bill Wilson’S Sponsor, p. 49 (2015)
  6. (21 September 1949). Women Organize to Slow U.S. Divorce Rate, Greenwich Journal (Greenwich, New York)
  7. Prowitt, Alfred (February 1950). Divorcees Anonymous, Good Housekeeping
  8. (1 June 1950). Prevention of Divorce - An American Organization - Encouraging Success, Geraldton Guardian
  9. (26 May 1950). Divorcees Teach Others To Avoid Their Mistakes, The Enterprise (Altamont, New York)
  10. (12 May 1950). Divorcd Persons Unite To Keep Marriage Alive, Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York) (Associated Press story)
  11. (27 April 1959). He saves marriages, loses income, Columbus Daily Telegram (UPI story)
  12. Jacobson, Walter C. Many Marriages Saved by 'DA'--Divorcees Anonymous, Medina Daily Journal-Register (UPI content)
  13. McMahon, Mike (8 January 1957). Entertainment Highlights, Plattsburgh Press-Republican
  14. (4 December 1960). Divorcees Anonymous, San Franscico Examiner (paywall) (a very positive piece on the organization from December 1960, highlighted by story of a couple which divorced, the husband married his secretary, then divorced her and remarried his first wife)
  15. Alvarez, Walter C. (29 June 1964). Docotr Alvarez, Tucson Citizen (syndicated column by Walter C. Alvarez stated Starr was considering making the group his full time work; but writer also reflecting changing views: "In many cases, the advisers are correct in urging someone to give up the idea of divorce. In other cases, the advisers will agree that divorce is advisable, even when children are involved.")
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