Edith Elmer Wood (1871-1945) was a US housing reformer. As lobbyist, writer, and government consultant, she helped define New Deal housing policy. After graduating from Smith College in 1890, she wrote fiction and undertook settlement house work before launching her influential, life-long career in housing reforms. The bulk of the collection is letters but other kinds of material is included, such as drawings, blueprints, manuscripts, maps, photographs, pamphlets, news clippings and hotel receipts.