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Elise Johnson McDougald (October 13, 1885 - June 10, 1971), aka Gertrude Elise McDougald Ayer, was an African American educator, writer, activist and first African American woman principal in New York City. McDougald's essay, "The Double Task: The Struggle for Negro Women for Sex and Race Emancipation," was published in the March 1925 issue of Survey Graphic Magazine, "Harlem: The Mecca of the New Negro". This particular issue, edited by Alain Locke, helped usher in and define what is now known as the Harlem Renaissance. McDougald's contribution to this magazine is an early example of African American feminist writing.

Early Life
Elise was born in 1885. Her father, Dr. Peter Augustus Johnson, was one of the first African American doctors in New York City. Elise’s mother was named Mary Elizabeth Johnson, an immigrant from the Isle of Wight. Elise spent her early days growing up in Manhattan, but also spent summers in New Jersey, as her father’s family owned a truck farm there. Elise would later inherit and manage the farm.

Education
Elise became the first African American graduate of the Girls’ Technical School in 1903, and was elected president of her senior class. After graduating high school, Elise earned a teaching certificate from the New York Training School for Teachers. She never did receive her bachelor’s degree, although completed coursework at Hunter College, Columbia University and New York City College..

Career
Elise’s teaching career began in 1905 at P.S. 11 in lower Manhattan. She resigned from P.S. 11 in 1911 to focus on her family. In 1916 she went back to work as a vocational counselor at the Manhattan Trade School. She then worked as an industrial secretary at the local branch of the National Urban League. There, she started a survey documenting the working conditions of New York City’s African American women. The survey was sponsored not only by the Urban League, but also the Women’s Trade Union League and the YWCA.