Helen Magill White
Helen Magill White | |
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Andrew D. White | |
Children | 3 |
Helen Magill White (November 28, 1853 – October 28, 1944) was an American classicist and academic. She was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in the United States.
Early life and education
Helen Magill was born in
In 1869, Magill's father joined the faculty of the new Swarthmore College which was founded by Quakers in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. Magill enrolled as an undergraduate. In 1871 her father was selected as the college's second president, serving for 17 years. The younger Magill graduated as a member of the Class of 1873, Swarthmore's first graduating class (five women and one man).[3]
Magill attended graduate school at
Magill's dissertation, The Greek Drama, was long considered lost, but in 2018 it was found in her papers in the Rare Book and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.[8][9]
Career
After serving as the
Magill taught for a short amount of time at Evelyn College for Women, a women's annex to Princeton University. Suffering from an illness, she taught physical geography at Brooklyn High School for a few years.[11]
Personal life
Helen Magill met Andrew D. White in 1887 while she was presenting a paper about her time at Newnham College at the American Social Science Association. A college classmate of Magill's father, White was retired from his many years as first president of Cornell University. He had been widowed that year. White described Magill and her paper in his diary as:
"Perfect manner & exquisite voice – altogether a triumph for this little Quakeress – daughter of my college mate Magill – of which I am proud."[11]
White encouraged Magill to apply for the post of Director of Sage College for Women at Cornell University. Magill however had been shaken by her experience of directorship of the Howard Collegiate Institute and depression and illness kept her at home for some time. While teaching at Brooklyn High School, Magill maintained a correspondence with White where she commented on her perceived failings:
"but it makes me miserable sometimes to think what I might have already done, if I had produced more and criticized less." (May 15th 1888)[11]
Magill and White married in September 1890, and had three children, Edward Magill White (died 1896), Hilda White (1891–1892), and Karin Andreevna White (1893–1971).[12]
Magill accompanied her husband when he was appointed to diplomatic posts in
After Andrew D. White died in 1918, Magill lived abroad and in Ithaca, New York. She retired to Kittery Point, Maine, where she died in 1944.[1][12]
Other pursuits
Helen Magill White published a letter in 1913 explaining her refusal to donate to a women's suffrage organization. However, some historians believe she was expressing her opposition to the actions of the Women's Social and Political Union in England, rather than to the suffrage cause.[13] The Union's militant acts included burning churches, bombing homes, and sending letter bombs to public officials.[13]
Notes
- ^ a b "Helen Magill White (American educator)". Encyclopædia Britannica. britannica.com. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- ^ "1883: Edward Hicks Magill (1825-1907)". 'An Onward Spirit': A Brief History of Swarthmore College. Swarthmore College. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- ^ "1873: Graduation of the First Class". 'An Onward Spirit': A Brief History of Swarthmore College. Swarthmore College. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- JSTOR 40222081.
- ^ "Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Faculty". Boston University. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- ^ Callahan, Patrick F. (2000). "White, Helen Magill (28 November 1853–28 October 1944), educator." American National Biography. Vol 23. Oxford University Press. pp. 211–212.
- ^ James, Edward (1971). Notable American Women, 1607-1950 A Biographical Dictionary · Volume 2. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. pp. 558–9.
- ^ Gordon, Laura. "WHITE, Helen Magill". Departmental Web Site Template | Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
- ^ "Guide to the Helen Magill White Papers,1865-1938". rmc.library.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
- ^ "West Bridgewater Public Library's Howard Seminary for Women photographs - Digital Commonwealth". www.digitalcommonwealth.org. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
- ^ ISBN 9780674627345.
- ^ a b "Helen Magill White (1853–1944)". www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
- ^ a b "Upbraids Suffragists – Since They Condone Outrages, Mrs. White Refuses Cash" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
External links
- Helen Magill White at the Database of Classical Scholars
- The Helen Magill White Papers at Cornell University
- Swarthmore College Presidents Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine