Conservative Activist Phyllis Schlafly Dies At 92
ST. LOUIS (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Outspoken conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly, who helped defeat the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and founded the Eagle Forum political group, has died at age 92.
The Eagle Forum announced her death in a statement Monday. Her son John Schlafly said his mother died of cancer Monday afternoon at her home in St. Louis.
Schlafly founded the Eagle Forum in 1972, a pro-family conservative group focusing heavily on social issues — it has about 80,000 members and, as of this week, Schlafly was still president.
"Phyllis Schlafly spent an astounding 70 years in public service of her fellow Americans," the Eagle Forum said in a statement. "Her focus from her earliest days until her final ones was protecting the family, which she understood as the building block of life. She recognized America as the greatest political embodiment of those values.
"From military superiority and defense to immigration and trade; from unborn life to the nuclear family and parenthood, Phyllis Schlafly was a courageous and articulate voice for common sense and traditional values," the statement continued. She authored 27 books and thousands of articles. She spoke tens of thousands of times across the United States."
Schlafly rose to national attention in 1964 with her self-published book, ``A Choice Not an Echo,'' that became a manifesto for the far right. It chronicled the history of the Republican National Convention, sold three million copies and helped conservative Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater earn the 1964 GOP nomination.
She graduated from college at 19, while working at a factory during World War II, and later earned master's and law degrees.
But she once said that perhaps her greatest legacy was the ultraconservative Eagle Forum, which she founded in suburban St. Louis in 1972.
Schlafly's organization had been split for the 2016 presidential election. She had supported Donald Trump, but many board members disagreed, KMOX radio in St. Louis reported.
Schafly also fought her nephew Tom Schlafly over the naming rights to his brewery in St. Louis. Phyllis Schlafly contended her name juxtaposed with beer and alcoholic beverages would damage her conservative brand's reputation, but a judge disagreed, KMOX reported.
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