Ella Weed was an American educator, "the guiding spirit in the first four years" of Barnard College

Barnard College

Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...

.

Life

After graduating from Vassar College

Vassar College

Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...

, Ella Weed became principal of Miss Brown's School for Girls in New York

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...

. Annie Nathan Meyer

Annie Nathan Meyer

Annie Nathan Meyer was an American author and promoter of the higher education of women. Her sister was the activist Maud Nathan and her nephew the author and poet Robert Nathan.-Life and career:...

interested her in the effort to establish Barnard College. Weed attracted financial support for the venture, and became the paid chairman of the Academic Committee.

Works

• A Foolish Virgin: a novel, 1883. A satirical novel about a Vassar graduate who tries to hide her intelligence and education.
• Pearls Strung by Ella Weed, 1898. A posthumously-published anthology of selections from Weed's favorite authors.