Mary Emma Woolley
Encyclopedia
Mary Emma Woolley was an American
educator, peace activist and women's suffrage supporter. She was the first female student to attend Brown University
and served as the 11th President of Mount Holyoke College
from 1900-1937.
and starting in 1871, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
. Her father was a Congregational minister and his efforts to incorporate social work into religion, heavily influenced his daughter.
Woolley attended Providence High School
and a number of smaller schools run by women before finishing her secondary schooling in 1884 at the Wheaton Seminary
in Norton, Massachusetts
. Woolley returned to teach there from 1885 to 1891. After
traveling through Europe for two months during the summer of 1890, she intended to attend Oxford University, but Elisha Benjamin Andrews, the president of Brown University
, convinced Woolley to become the first female student at Brown. She began attending Brown in the Fall of 1890, while still teaching at Wheaton. In 1894, she received her B.A. and in 1895, her M.A. for her thesis titled, "The Early History of the Colonial Post Office."
relationship for fifty-five years.
In December, 1899, Brown offered her a job as the head of the newly founded Women's College
. Simultaneously, Mount Holyoke College
offered her its presidency.
Woolley took Mount Holyoke's offer and on January 1, 1901, at the age of 38, became one of the youngest college presidents in the United States.
As the president of a women's college, one of her many responsibilities was to publicly support female education. During her 36 year presidency, she worked to end the prejudice of the era that contended that women had a natural learning disability and that intellectual work negatively affected their health. Woolley began to have influence within the academic community, and she led cooperative efforts with other women's colleges to raise funds, academic standards and public consciousness for women's education. During Woolley's presidency, Mount Holyoke became one of the
best colleges in the United States after she built a strong faculty, attracting scholars from the most prestigious graduate schools by offering increased salaries, fellowships and sabbaticals.
Woolley also attempted to improve the quality of students admitted to Mount Holyoke, after raising admission standards, introducing honors programs and general examinations for seniors. The college endowment also grew from $500,000 to nearly $5 million and the campus added sixteen new building during her 36 year presidency. One of her most significant changes came when she abolished the domestic work system, instituted by the college's founder, Mary Lyon
. When Lyon founded the college in 1837, students were required to cook and clean for economic reasons, and other women's colleges followed the example. By 1901, Mount Holyoke was the only women's college with the system still in place and Woolley thought the system was old fashioned and an obstacle in her goal of making Mount Holyoke intellectually equal to male colleges.
Woolley also managed to devote her time to a number of organizations during her presidency, advocating for social reform of all kinds, including suffrage, pacifism and church matters. She served as the vice president of the American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) and also worked on U.S. entry into the League of Nations
. She also worked with President Herbert Hoover
on women's rights and with President Franklin D. Roosevelt
on pacifism. She gained international recognition after President Hoover appointed her as a delegate to the Conference on Reduction and Limitation of Armaments
, which met in Geneva, Switzerland in 1932.
was appointed. This greatly disappointed Woolley, and she argued that if a man was a president for a women's college, it implied that no qualified female candidate existed, thus the schools goals of preparing women for positions of responsibility and leadership are diminished. After her retirement, Woolley never visited the Mount Holyoke campus again.
Woolley remained an active social advocate during her retirement, and she spent much of her time lecturing at meetings and conferences. On September 30, 1944, in her Westport, New York
home, she suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage which partially paralyzed her. She spent the final three years of her life in a wheelchair and Marks cared for her until her death in 1947.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educator, peace activist and women's suffrage supporter. She was the first female student to attend Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
and served as the 11th President of Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
from 1900-1937.
Early life and education
Woolley was the daughter of Joseph Duah Woolley and his second wife, Mary Augusta Ferris. She was given the nickname May, and enjoyed a comfortable, nurturing childhood in New England. She was first raised in Meriden, ConnecticutMeriden, Connecticut
Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 59,653.-History:...
and starting in 1871, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 71,148 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth largest city in the state.-History:...
. Her father was a Congregational minister and his efforts to incorporate social work into religion, heavily influenced his daughter.
Woolley attended Providence High School
Providence Public School District
The Providence Public School Department is the administrative force behind the primary public school district of Providence, Rhode Island. It contains 45 schools, 4 annexes, 1 center, and 2 charter schools, and serves 25,085 students, as of January 2006....
and a number of smaller schools run by women before finishing her secondary schooling in 1884 at the Wheaton Seminary
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Wheaton College is a four-year, private liberal arts college with an approximate student body of 1,550. Wheaton's residential campus is located in Norton, Massachusetts, between Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1834 as a female seminary, it is one of the oldest...
in Norton, Massachusetts
Norton, Massachusetts
Norton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, and contains the village of Norton Center. The population was 18,036 at the 2000 census...
. Woolley returned to teach there from 1885 to 1891. After
traveling through Europe for two months during the summer of 1890, she intended to attend Oxford University, but Elisha Benjamin Andrews, the president of Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, convinced Woolley to become the first female student at Brown. She began attending Brown in the Fall of 1890, while still teaching at Wheaton. In 1894, she received her B.A. and in 1895, her M.A. for her thesis titled, "The Early History of the Colonial Post Office."
Teaching career
In 1895, Woolley began teaching biblical history and literature at Wellesley College. She was popular among her students and peers and in 1896 she was made an associate professor. By 1899, she had been promoted to a full professor. During her time at Wellesley, she made significant changes in the curriculum while gaining administrative experiences as the chair of her department. She also met Professor Jeannette Marks at Wellesley, and the two women lived in a lesbianLesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
relationship for fifty-five years.
In December, 1899, Brown offered her a job as the head of the newly founded Women's College
Pembroke College (Brown University)
Pembroke College in Brown University was the coordinate women's college for Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1891 and closed in 1971.-Founding and early history:...
. Simultaneously, Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
offered her its presidency.
Woolley took Mount Holyoke's offer and on January 1, 1901, at the age of 38, became one of the youngest college presidents in the United States.
Mount Holyoke Presidency
Immediately upon arrival at Mount Holyoke, Woolley outlined her views on female education. While in the past, the college had placed an emphasis on women's education in service to society, Woolley stressed that in the future, a women's education would not need to be justified by anything but intellectual grounds. Woolley believed education, roughly, was a preparation for life, and that an educated woman was able to achieve anything. She argued that if women had not succeeded in the past, it was because their education, or lack thereof, had held them back.As the president of a women's college, one of her many responsibilities was to publicly support female education. During her 36 year presidency, she worked to end the prejudice of the era that contended that women had a natural learning disability and that intellectual work negatively affected their health. Woolley began to have influence within the academic community, and she led cooperative efforts with other women's colleges to raise funds, academic standards and public consciousness for women's education. During Woolley's presidency, Mount Holyoke became one of the
best colleges in the United States after she built a strong faculty, attracting scholars from the most prestigious graduate schools by offering increased salaries, fellowships and sabbaticals.
Woolley also attempted to improve the quality of students admitted to Mount Holyoke, after raising admission standards, introducing honors programs and general examinations for seniors. The college endowment also grew from $500,000 to nearly $5 million and the campus added sixteen new building during her 36 year presidency. One of her most significant changes came when she abolished the domestic work system, instituted by the college's founder, Mary Lyon
Mary Lyon
Mary Mason Lyon , surname pronounced , was a pioneer in women's education. She established the Wheaton Female Seminary in Norton, Massachusetts, . Within two years, she raised $15,000 to build the Mount Holyoke School...
. When Lyon founded the college in 1837, students were required to cook and clean for economic reasons, and other women's colleges followed the example. By 1901, Mount Holyoke was the only women's college with the system still in place and Woolley thought the system was old fashioned and an obstacle in her goal of making Mount Holyoke intellectually equal to male colleges.
Woolley also managed to devote her time to a number of organizations during her presidency, advocating for social reform of all kinds, including suffrage, pacifism and church matters. She served as the vice president of the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
(ACLU) and also worked on U.S. entry into the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. She also worked with President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
on women's rights and with President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
on pacifism. She gained international recognition after President Hoover appointed her as a delegate to the Conference on Reduction and Limitation of Armaments
World Disarmament Conference
The Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments of 1932-34 was an effort by member states of the League of Nations, together with the U.S. and the Soviet Union, to actualize the ideology of disarmament...
, which met in Geneva, Switzerland in 1932.
Retirement and Death
Woolley retired in 1937 at the age of seventy-four and after trustees at Mount Holyoke were displeased with her outside activities, a male successor, Roswell Gray HamRoswell G. Ham
Roswell Gray Ham was an American educator who served as the 12th President of Mount Holyoke College from 1937 to 1957. He was born in LeMoore, California and received his B.A. from University of California, Berkeley and his Ph.D. from Yale University...
was appointed. This greatly disappointed Woolley, and she argued that if a man was a president for a women's college, it implied that no qualified female candidate existed, thus the schools goals of preparing women for positions of responsibility and leadership are diminished. After her retirement, Woolley never visited the Mount Holyoke campus again.
Woolley remained an active social advocate during her retirement, and she spent much of her time lecturing at meetings and conferences. On September 30, 1944, in her Westport, New York
Westport, New York
Westport is a town in Essex County, New York, United States overlooking Lake Champlain. The population was 1,362 at the 2000 census.The Town of Westport is on the eastern border of the county and is south of Plattsburgh and south of Montreal. Westport is inside the Adirondack Park.Westport is...
home, she suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage which partially paralyzed her. She spent the final three years of her life in a wheelchair and Marks cared for her until her death in 1947.
See also
- Presidents of Mount Holyoke College