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American intelligence officer
For the soap opera character, see List of Home and Away characters (2016).

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Eloise Page
Page's pass, stored at the CIA Museum
Born(1920-02-19)February 19, 1920
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
DiedOctober 16, 2002(2002-10-16) (aged 82)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education
EmployerCentral Intelligence Agency

Eloise Randolph Page (February 19, 1920[1] – October 16, 2002) was an American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. She was the first female: Chief of Station (COS), Deputy Director of the Intelligence Community, and Chairman of the Critical Collection Problem Committee.

Early life

Page was born and grew up in Richmond, Virginia to Randolph Rosewell (1884-1951) and Lillian Eloise (1886-1978)(Glyshaw) Page [2] [3]. She had a younger brother, Randolph Jr., (1922-1931)[4] who died in childhood. [5]She learned piano as a child and originally hoped to be a professional musician.[6][7]

Through her father, she was the six-times great-granddaughter of Colonel John Page, namer of Williamsburg, and founder of the College of William & Mary. [8][9][10]

Education

Page attended Hollins College and earned a Master's Degree in political science from George Washington University.[11] Page received an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from the National Defense University in recognition of "pioneering influence in the field."[12]

Career

Upon graduation, Page worked for the British War Relief Society.[11]

Page began her US intelligence work during World War II in May 1942, working under William J. Donovan, head of the CIA's predecessor, the Office of Strategic Services. She became interested in intelligence work and espionage, and continued into the CIA when it was formed in 1947.[13] In the early 1960s, Page directed Operation Lincoln, a program in which scientists were encouraged to gather technical intelligence during their vacations to the Soviet Union.[14] She progressed to a senior role with the Agency, becoming the CIA's first female station chief in 1978.[15][11] She was stationed in Athens, Greece, where the previous chief, Richard Welch, had been assassinated three years earlier.[11] She subsequently became the first female Deputy Director of the Intelligence Community staff and chaired the Critical Collection Problems Committee. Within the CIA, she became a well-respected terrorism expert.[16]

In 1987, Page retired, receiving the Distinguished Intelligence Medal. She had been the highest ranking female officer in the CIA since 1975. Following retirement, she continued consulting with the Defense Intelligence Agency on terrorism, and taught at the National Defense University. In 1997, she was one of 50 CIA officers who received a Trailblazer Award for service. Her Trailblazer citation called her "a role model" and "a champion of using technology to solve operational problems".[11]

Page died on October 16, 2002, having never married and without children.[11]

Legacy

During her tenure at the CIA, Page was known for being a "proper Southern woman", wearing white gloves and regularly teaching Sunday school at the Christ Episcopal Church in Georgetown.[16][11] She was nicknamed the "Iron Butterfly".[15] Though colleagues remembered her as a genteel woman, she could be fierce and demanding when her role required.[16] Her official ID badge is held in the CIA Museum.[17]

A dramatized podcast of the history of the CIA, told from the perspective of Page during her 40-year career at the agency, is produced by the BBC Radio 4. Series 1 launched in September 2024 [18], series 2 following in June 2025 [19], and series 3 in August 2026[20].

Cast:

References

  1. ^ "From OSS Secretary to your First Female Chief of Station". CIA (Facebook). February 19, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  2. ^ Ancestry.com Virginia, U.S., Birth Records, 1912-2015, Delayed Birth Records, 1721-1924 Lehi, UT, USA Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2015
  3. ^ National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: 3071; Page: 71; Enumeration District: 1-511
  4. ^ Ancestry.com South Carolina, U.S., Births, 1915-1923 Lehi, UT, USA Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2020. Certificate 1922-039347
  5. ^ Ancestry.com Web: Richland County, South Carolina, U.S., Obituary Index, 1892-2000 Provo, UT, USA Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2012 Obituary Index
  6. ^ "Eloise Page". Heart Of A Heroine Alliance. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  7. ^ Holt, Nathalia. Wise gals: the spies who built the CIA and changed the future of espionage.Icon Books, La Vergne, 2023
  8. ^ Genealogy of the Page Family in Virginia: Also A Condensed Account of the Nelson, Walker, Pendleton, and Randolph Families. Ancestry.com U.S., Family History Books Lehi, UT, USA Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2025
  9. ^ Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA; Virginia Marriages, 1853-1935
  10. ^ The Alstons and Allstons of North and South Carolina Compiled From English, Colonial and Family Records. Ancestry.com U.S., Family History Books Lehi, UT, USA Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2025
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Barnes, Bart (October 19, 2002). "Eloise Page Dies at 82". Washington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  12. ^ “Eloise Page Dies at 82 - The Washington Post.” Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2002, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2002/10/19/eloise-page-dies-at-82/37b7e41a-e08e-4c25-a13a-2dfab1ae835e/.
  13. ^ "The People of the CIA ... A CIA Trailblazer: Eloise Page". CIA. Archived from the original on May 5, 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  14. ^ "The Women Who Helped to Build the CIA". Wall Street Journal. September 24, 2022. ProQuest 2717362143.
  15. ^ a b "The CIA Female Spy Question". history.com. September 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  16. ^ a b c "CIA Trailblazer: Eloise Page shattered several glass ceilings". New Jersey Today. October 18, 2015. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  17. ^ "Eloise Page ID". CIA Museum. July 23, 2012. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  18. ^ "Limelight: Central Intelligence". BBC Sounds. September 6, 2024.
  19. ^ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/limelight/id1567365630?i=1000713693075
  20. ^ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/limelight/id1567365630?i=1000776211541
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