Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
Encyclopedia
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
as "Katharine E. Dopp") (b. 1 March 1863 in Portage County
Portage County, Wisconsin
Portage County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 67,182. Its county seat is Stevens Point. The United States Census Bureau's Stevens Point Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Portage County.-Geography:...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
- d. 14 March 1944 in Chicago, Illinois) was one of the foremost American educators at the turn of the 20th century, and one of the first to advocate the involvement of business in education. She wrote a series of textbooks on anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
which were widely used in the public schools of Wisconsin, Illinois and Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, as well as nationally circulated studies on the same subjects, and children's books.
Early life
Born in Portage CountyPortage County, Wisconsin
Portage County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 67,182. Its county seat is Stevens Point. The United States Census Bureau's Stevens Point Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Portage County.-Geography:...
, Wisconsin on 1 March 1863 in a log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
, she was the daughter of William Dopp, one of the first white settlers in what at the time was a wilderness area. She descended from a long line of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
ers, scattered also across Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
as well as the Midwest, and who displayed a marked taste for education over the generations. Her parents, together with several of her uncles, had left their farms in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
to move to Midwest and to settle on the rich plains in the Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
. She grew up in the area known then as "Dopp Neighborhood
Dopp, Wisconsin
Dopp is an unincorporated community in the town of Belmont in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States.-Geography:Dopp is located in central Wisconsin approximately nine miles east of Almond, or four miles north of Wild Rose. Dopp rests on the intersection of Portage County Road AA, and Wisconsin...
" and attended the one room "Dopp School" in what is now in the town of Belmont
Belmont, Portage County, Wisconsin
Belmont is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 623 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Blaine, Dopp, and Heffron are located within the town.-Geography:...
, in Portage County, surrounded by a large family and the experience of her early years in a farm near the wilderness was to mark her for her life.
Teacher and writer
She started her career as a teacher in her hometown. An avid reader and a life-long learner, she became fascinated with the study of anthropologyAnthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. An unusually enterprising and active woman for her time, she attended several universities in Wisconsin and Illinois and earned several degrees, including Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
s in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
. She was a public school teacher at first and a university professor later. She taught in universities in Wisconsin, Utah and Illinois. Ultimately, she became the Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the Chicago Normal School, a teacher's college that later became part of the University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
. While there, she was instrumental in designing and implementing correspondence courses for teachers in the public school systems.
Among her works of an academic nature, "The Place of Industries in Elementary Education" was responded by a particularly large calling and was reviewed by John Dewey
John Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
. Among her children's books, The Tree-Dwellers was widely read in her time.
She was listed for several years in Who's Who in America and, after her death, in Who Was Who in America for years.
Later life
