Bertha Floersheim Rauh

Bertha Rauh was a Jewish volunteer and civil servant in Pittsburgh. She was born in Pittsburgh to immigrants from Germany. She served as president of the National Council of Jewish Women-Pittsburgh Section from 1904 through 1919, during which time she oversaw several programs that would eventually become publicly funded citywide initiatives, such as “penny lunches” in the Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Committee to Aid the Blind. In 1922, she joined the administration of Mayor William A. Magee, becoming the first woman appointed to a mayoral cabinet of a major city. She served the post in two subsequent administrations. She oversaw the Department of Public Charities, which she restructured into the Department of Public Welfare. She focused heavily on improving medical care throughout the city and turned Mayview Hospital into a modern psychiatric institution. She was married to Enoch Rauh, a businessman who sat on the Pittsburgh City Council. They had two children, Richard S. Rauh and Helen Rauh.