Edith Marion Patch was a U.S. entomologist and writer.

Born in Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....

, she received a degree in English from the University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

 in 1901 and originally embarked on a career as an English teacher before receiving the opportunity to organize the entomology department at the University of Maine

University of Maine

The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...

. She became the head of the entomology department in 1904, despite misgivings from several male colleagues about having a female department head, and she remained in this post until her 1937 retirement.

Patch subsequently earned her master's degree from the university in 1910 and later received a Ph.D. degree from Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 in 1911. During her career, she was recognized as an expert in the study of aphids and published Food Plant Catalogue of the Aphids in 1938. Patch was elected president of the Entomological Society of America

Entomological Society of America

The Entomological Society of America was founded in 1889 and today has more than 6,000 members, including educators, extension personnel, consultants, students, researchers, and scientists from agricultural departments, health agencies, private industries, colleges and universities, and state and...

 and the American Nature Study Society in 1930.

Patch's residence

Edith Marion Patch House

The Edith Marion Patch House is a historic house built in the 1830s in College Avenue in Old Town, Maine. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001....

 in Old Town, Maine

Old Town, Maine

Old Town is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,840 at the 2010 census. The city's developed area is chiefly located on a relatively large island, though its boundaries extend beyond that...

, was added to the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

in 2001.