Marion Newbert Jorgensen (March 18, 1912 – June 18, 2008) was an American civic leader in Los Angeles and a philanthropist.
Her family's wealth can be attributed to her grandfather, Thomas Griffin, an Irish immigrant, who was the founder of a very successful company which manufactured railway wheels in Baltimore.
[1] In 1930, she returned to Los Angeles and, despite being Christian and attending exclusive schools which restricted their enrollees to gentiles, she married Jewish-American talent agent, Milton Harold Bren.
[2] Jorgensen, the son of Danish immigrants to San Francisco, made his fortune by selling surplus steel to oil drillers and later in the aircraft industry.
She began working with St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, where she coordinated events and recruited volunteers.
[3] The Jorgensens became very active philanthropists; they donated money to many charitable causes and civic organizations, such as the Boy Scouts of America, the YMCA, the Los Angeles Music Center, and several hospitals.
[1] Additionally, Mrs. Jorgensen was an Honorary Trustee of Children's Hospital Los Angeles and served on the board of The Colleagues.
After serving with distinction on the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, Mrs. Jorgensen was honored with election as Life Director.
[1] She also became the first female to serve as chairman of the board of overseers of the Huntington Library Art Gallery and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.
She helped found the James Madison Council of the Library of Congress, the first-ever national advisory and support group in its 205-year history.