Tanya Melich was born in Moab, Utah on April 23, 1936. She graduated with a BS in Political Science from the University of Colorado in 1958 and received her MA in Public Law and Government from Columbia University in 1961. She began her career in political campaign work in the 1950s as a Ford Foundation Political Intern. She has been involved with national and state, primarily New York State, elections. She worked for ABC-TV News in its election unit and was Director of ABC-News National Election Research for the 1964 presidential election. She has also worked for the Corporate Affairs division of CBS, Inc. in various positions. Her involvement with the Ripon Society began in the mid 1960s. Through the 1970s and 1980s she helped organize a number of politically related women's groups, including the Manhattan Women's Political Caucus, New York State National Women's Political Caucus, National Women's Education Fund, National Women's Republican Task Force, New York State Republicans for Women's Issues, and New York State Republican Family Committee. Melich served as an alternate delegate for the State of New York at the Republican National Conventions of 1972, 1976, and 1980. In 1980 she was appointed a Fellow at the Institute of Politics, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Her writings have appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines. Her book The Republican War Against Women: An Insider's Report from Behind the Lines in 1996 received national attention from women's organizations and political groups around the country. In the book Melich argues that the Republican Party has sacrificed the needs of women in its quest for votes from right wing, highly conservative constituencies.
From the description of Tanya M. Melich papers, 1950-2000. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122362158
