Colonel Ruth Cheney Streeter, A Marine's Story
Colonel Ruth Cheney Streeter
Colonel Ruth Cheney Streeter was born on October 2, 1895, in Brookline, Massachusetts. She was educated at Bryn Mawr College, graduating in 1918, and from early adulthood demonstrated a sustained commitment to public service and civic leadership.
Active in community affairs for decades, Streeter became the first woman to serve as president of the Welfare Board in Morristown, New Jersey. Her sense of duty did not wane with age. At forty-seven, determined to contribute directly to the war effort, she earned her pilot’s license with the intent of serving as a ferry pilot with either the WAVES or the WASPs. Both programs rejected her on the basis of age.
Undeterred, Streeter sought another path to service. On January 29, 1943, she joined the United States Marine Corps Women’s Reserve in response to World War II. She was appointed its first director and tasked with building the program from the ground up, establishing standards, recruiting women nationwide, and integrating them into a traditionally male institution. Under her leadership, nearly 18,000 women enlisted, filling vital administrative, technical, and logistical roles that freed male Marines for combat service overseas.
Streeter’s tenure helped define the professionalism and credibility of women in the Marine Corps, setting precedents that would influence future generations of women Marines.
After the war, Colonel Streeter returned to New Jersey, where she continued her public service. In 1947, she was appointed as a delegate to the New Jersey Constitutional Convention, contributing to the shaping of the state’s postwar governance. She remained civically and politically active well into her later years.
Colonel Ruth Cheney Streeter died on September 30, 1990. She is buried in Petersburgh, New Hampshire. Her legacy endures as one of the foundational leaders who proved, by example and by results—that women belonged in the ranks and leadership of the United States Marine Corps.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
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