Columbia Center for Oral History Portal > Oral history interview with Ann Cottrell Free, 2000.
| Creator: | Free, Ann Cottrell | Project: | Animal Advocates Oral History Collection
(see all project interviews) | Phys. Desc. : | Transcript 144 pages Sound recording 15 audiocassettes Attachments to interviews .5 Linear ft. | | Location: | Columbia Center for Oral History | | Full CLIO record >> |
Biographical NoteAnne Cottrell Free (1916-2004) was a journalist, author poet, and advocate for animals. She was born in Richmond, Virginia, and attended Barnard College, graduating in 1938. She worked as a journalist during World War II, was a part of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation in China, and worked with the Marshall Plan. Professionally, she would write for a range of publications including The Richmond Times-Dispatch, Newsweek, The Chicago Sun, and the New York Herald Tribune. Her advocacy on behalf of animals included helping to establish a national wildlife refuge in Maine, advocating for livestock protection, testimony before congress about the National Zoo's deer hunts, spearheading a campaign for a humane society in Puerto Rico, and blowing the whistle on the Food and Drug Administration's treatment of laboratory dogs. She wrote three books pertaining to animals: Forever the Wild Mare, Animals Nature and Albert Schweitzer, and No Room, Save in the Heart. She also was active in the struggles for civil rights, women's rights, and aid for the blind.
Scope and ContentsOver four sessions, Ann Cottrell Free describes her life, advocacy for animals, and the philosophical underpinning for her activism. She begins by discussing the growth of her consciousness about treatment of animals during her childhood, including incidents with domestic animals, agricultural animals, transport animals, and fox hunts. She describes activism while attending Barnard College, and analyzes how inconsistent attitudes cause injustice. She discusses her entry into journalism and coverage of World War II, working for the United Nations Relief in China, and working for the Marshall Plan in Europe. She discusses the return to the United States and increased involvement in with animal rights, and she describes the different activities and outlooks of various organizations: the Washington Animal Rescue League, Washington Humane Society, American Humane Association (AHA), and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). She discusses her involvement with the Human Slaughter Act of 1958. She describes advocating for better conditions for laboratory dogs, the passage of the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act of 1966, and the role of Fay Brisk. She discusses animal-related ethics, including those of Ruth Harrison, Peter Singer, and Albert Schweitzer. She also speaks about her own book on Schweitzer. She analyzes conflict and collaboration among animal advocates, perceptions in larger society, and reflections on activism. The transcript contains appendix of biographical material. The interview as taken by David Cantor and Kenneth Shapiro There is also one box of attachements relating to the interview by footnotes. These include articles by Free and copies of her books Animals, Nature, and Albert Schweitzer and No Room Save in the Heart: Poetry and Prose on Reverence for Life - Animals, Nature, and Humankind.
SubjectsAccess ConditionsCopyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 2016.
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