American attorney and law professor at Harvard during the ’80s, known for her brains, decisive clarity, husky voice, and spunk, the author of several books and an experienced political operative. After law school, she went into behind-the-scenes politics when she was recruited to work on Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis’ bid for reelection in 1981. She taught at Harvard from 1981-1987. She took over when John Sasso left the post of Dukakis’ presidential campaign manager in October 1987.
The middle child of a lawyer father and a mother who managed a cardiologist’s office, Susan grew up in Marblehead, MA. and attended Wellesley. She was the first woman to serve as president of the Harvard Law Review in 1976. In that same year, she was raped, and used the experience for her book, “Real Rape,” which is about victims’ rights.
In 1998, Estrich published a diet book, ” Making the Case for Yourself: A Diet Book for Smart Women.” The book outlines a five-step diet plan based on her experience of weight loss.
She met her future husband, Marty Kaplan, in 1983, and they married in January, 1987, when he was Vice-President of Disney Studios. They reside in Los Angeles with a daughter, Isabel, and a son, James. By the late ’90s, Kaplan was working as associate dean of the Annenberg School of Communications at USC. In the fall of 2000, Estrich and her husband of 14 years separated. She created a new home for herself and her children and was quoted “I have never felt so powerful in my life – or so vulnerable.”
Link to Wikipedia biography