June Rose Colby

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June Rose Colby
Colby portrait, undated
Born(1856-06-04)June 4, 1856
Cherry Valley, Ohio
DiedMay 11, 1941(1941-05-11) (aged 84)
Normal, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Michigan (PhD, literature)
OccupationProfessor of literature

June Rose Colby (June 4, 1856 – May 11, 1941) was an American professor of literature. She was the first female faculty member and third woman hired as an instructor at

Suffragist
movement.

Early life and education

She was born on June 4, 1856, in

Cherry Valley, Ohio,[1] second daughter and the fourth of five children of Lewis Colby and his wife Celestia Rice. Her father was a dairy farmer, while her mother found an outlet for her literary interests by writing essays. In 1866 the family moved to Freeport, Illinois, where her father earned income as a lightning rod salesman. June had been home schooled up to this point, but now attended public school. The family moved again in 1870 to Ann Arbor, Michigan so that June's sister Vine could study at the University of Michigan.[2]

After June graduated from

Harvard Annex, now called Radcliffe College, then transferred back to the University of Michigan where she received an A.M. degree.[5] In 1886, she became the first woman at the University of Michigan to receive a Ph.D. by examination.[6] Her thesis was titled Some Ethical Aspects of Later Elizabethan Tragedy, Preceded by an Examination of Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy.[7]

Career

For six years after graduating she was unable to receive a professorship and was instead employed as a teacher in high schools in

Mary A. Livermore.[10] There are also multiple recorded letters between herself and Julia Ward Howe.[4]

Sapphonian Society

Colby used this group as a way to introduce female

feminist in nature, she designed it in a way that let the audience come to such conclusions themselves.[4]

Photo of June Rose Colby with an unidentified woman and child, undated.

This club originated from its parting from the all-male debate society called Cicero. However, the Sapphonians wanted to go beyond simply being an all-female counterpart, but rather an entity with complete separation and autonomy from the male debate team. These women then went even further to establish their own mode of conversation, as opposed to Cicero’s strict debate format, to instead focus on literature and discussion. Colby had great influence on these changes.[4]

The Sapphonians sought to better their community and did not limit their learning to the classroom. One member noted that "the Sapphonian Society not only assures the members of many interesting and instructive programs but also affords them, thru its committee formation, an instruction of a somewhat different character from that which can be obtained in required school work.”[4] Despite the relatively private nature of the club, the members were still able to contribute to society and gain practical writing experience that the traditional university courses did not permit them. It was Colby’s desire to grant these women such experiences and empower them through academia. She rejected the notion that women who succeeded in college would not contribute to society post-graduation.[4]

Colby strongly promoted “silent”

Suffragist movement, or other feminist advancements. She did not want to garner “unwanted attention” to the Sapphonian Society, as a way to protect its members.[4]

Shortly after 1897, though, the group did turn its focus to addressing issues within their own campus. At this time, ISNU’s president was David Felmley, who repeatedly contended that women were less intelligent than men and promoted the masculinization of education, thus emphasizing the Sapphonian’s on-campus obstacles. One effort to combat these increasingly popular ideas was the society’s invite extension to all women, students and faculty alike, to attend their meetings. This was proven successful given the membership increase, as the club went from 23 members in 1905 to 42 in 1906.[4] Pushing even further, Colby urged the members to contact women from other colleges throughout the country. A College Committee dedicated to women’s issues was henceforth established.[4]

Despite Colby’s silent activism approach, she came to write “Some Often Forgotten Aspects of the Relation of Women to the Industrial World” for ISNU’s newspaper, The Vidette, which was likely purposed as rebuttal to the ideas put forth by Felmley.[4]

The Sapphonian Society ultimately lasted from 1887-1912; Colby was its mentor from 1892-1908.[4]

Retirement and death

When she retired in July, 1931, she was named Emeritus Professor of Literature.

Illinois State Normal University was later named after her.[12]

Colby died on May 11, 1941, in Normal, Illinois.[13]

Bibliography

  • Some Ethical Aspects of Later Elizabethan Tragedy (1886)
  • Literature in the Elementary School (1903)
  • Shakespeare in the High School (1903)
  • Literature and Life in School (1906)

References

  1. ^ Leonard, John William (1914), Woman's Who's Who of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporary Women of the United States and Canada, vol. 1, American Commonwealth Company, p. 192.
  2. ^ Swartz, Emily (2010), Celestia Rice Colby, McLean County Museum of History, retrieved 2017-11-02.
  3. ^ Newton, Bateman; Paul, Selby (1908), Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois, vol. 2, Brookhaven Press, p. 972.
  4. ^
    doi:10.1080/07350198.2013.766850
    . Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b Summers, Candace (2007), Dr. June Rose Colby, McLean County Museum of History, retrieved 2017-11-03.
  6. ^ Timeline of Graduate Education – 1880s, Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan, retrieved 2017-11-02.
  7. ^ a b Colby, June Rose (June 1, 1886), Some Ethical Aspects of Later Elizabethan Tragedy, preceded by an Examination of Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy, University of Michigan, retrieved 2017-11-02.
  8. ISBN 1439663319
    , retrieved 2017-11-02.
  9. ISBN 1403979103
    .
  10. ^ "June Rose Colby". Exhibits. Milner Library. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  11. ^ Guide to the June Rose Colby Papers, 1868-1940, Illinois State University, retrieved 2017-11-02.
  12. ^ Staff (May 16, 2016), End of an era: South campus residence halls demolished, Illinois State University, retrieved 2017-11-02.
  13. newspapers.com
    .

External links

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