Madeleine Haas Russell was a former Democratic National Committeewoman and the founder of the Columbia Foundation, a grant-making organization established in 1940. Raised in San Francisco, Russell attended Smith College for her undergraduate years and briefly worked in Paris as a translator following her graduation in 1938. In 1976, she was selected as a Democratic Committeewoman for California and served in the Committee until 1976. And in addition to her philanthropic work with the Columbia Foundation, Russell sat on the boards of several community organizations, including Langley Porter and Mt. Zion Hospital. In this interview, Russell discusses her philanthropy and considerable political work, including supporting Helen Gahagan Douglas, the McGovern Reforms, working with public television and the KQED Board, the Democratic National Committee, and the Peace Movement. This interview is part of a group of interviews documenting the history of Bay Area philanthropy.