The Women's National Press Club (WNPC) existed in Washington, D.C., from 1919 to 1971 primarily because the National Press Club (NPC) refused to admit women. The WNPC offered mutual support in the face of male hostility. Women were virtually cut off from news sources; 20 women had Capitol press gallery privileges in 1879, but they were effectively excluded in 1880 when part-time correspondents were banned. The WNPC held luncheon meetings and invited speakers who gave the women a chance to obtain news stories and meet influential people. Leadership of the club was a hard fought honor and the women who became president exemplified journalistic competence and dedication. While most women journalists were confined to the society or women's pages, the NWPC presidents of the early 1930s held their own against male competitors, writing on politics, crime, courts, public affairs, and other front-page topics. Eleanor Roosevelt became a member in 1938 on the basis of her nationally syndicated column, "My Day," though her application was protested by some because she did not earn her living by writing. The situation for women improved in the 1950s when they were allowed to sit in the gallery of the NPC, but space was limited and they could not hear or ask questions. In the 1960s the State Department insisted that women be permitted to participate, and finally, in 1971, the NPC decided to admit women. Although the WNPC admitted men in the 1970s and changed its name to the Washington Press Club in an effort to survive, in 1985 it merged with NPC. (SRT)