Elizabeth Warren revealed a law professor's alleged sexual harassment while eulogizing him at his funeral
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) won't deny the late University of Houston law professor Eugene Smith played a role in getting her where she is today.
But the presidential candidate was also frank about Smith's alleged sexual harassment while she taught at UH. So frank that she revealed the story of him "lunging at" and "chasing" her around her his office at his funeral, The Washington Post reports in a profile of Warren published Tuesday.
After taking classes at UH, Warren applied for a professorship there in 1978. That's when Smith took her to dinner with the hiring committee and, unable to cut his steak due to his post-polio syndrome, pushed it to Warren and implied she should do it for him. "Can't you tell I'm crippled?" retired UH professor John Mixon, who was at the dinner, recalled him saying. "I thought you knew that when you ordered the steak," Warren replied. The whole table laughed, and Warren was hired.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But with that moment, Warren knew worse things would come. Faculty members treated her like a "second-class citizen," she said. And Smith, who was essentially "the gatekeeper to her future," made uncomfortable comments about her appearance, "told dirty jokes, and invited her out for drinks," the Post writes. Warren "thought she was managing him" until that day in his office in early 1979. She kept quiet about it because "if Gene wanted to sink me, he could," she said.
That is, she kept quiet until his funeral, where Smith had asked her to speak. And she did, telling Smith's ex-wife, his three grown sons, and the rest of the "slack-jawed" crowd what happened in Smith's office, Mixon recalled. Read more at The Washington Post.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 17, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - political anxiety, jury sorting hat, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arid Gulf states hit with year's worth of rain
Speed Read The historic flooding in Dubai is tied to climate change
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How will Israel respond to Iran's direct attack?
Speed Read Iran’s weekend attack on Israel could escalate into a wider Middle East war
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US, Israel brace for Iran retaliatory strikes
Speed Read An Iranian attack on Israel is believed to be imminent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Congress honors real-life Rosie the Riveters
Speed Read These American women reshaped the work force during World War II
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Outgunned Ukraine could fall, US general warns
Speed Read Without more US aid, Ukraine is at risk of losing the war
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
House GOP scuttles FISA vote at Trump's urging
Speed Read Right-wing lawmakers blocked Speaker Mike Johnson's surveillance bill
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published