The following is a list of individuals associated with Radcliffe College through attending as a student, or serving as college president or dhjj an.

List of presidents

* Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz, 1894–1900 (honorary president 1900–1903) *

LeBaron Russell Briggs LeBaron Russell Briggs (December 11, 1855 – April 24, 1934) was an American educator. He was appointed the first dean of men at Harvard College, and subsequently served as dean of the faculty until he retired. He was concurrently president o ...

, 1903–1923 * Ada Louise Comstock, 1923–1943 *

Wilbur Kitchener Jordan Wilbur Kitchener Jordan (also known as W. K. Jordan), (1902-1980) was an American historian, specializing in sixteenth and seventeenth century Britain. Raised in Lynnville, Indiana, Jordan received a bachelor's degree from Oakland City College i ...

, 1943–1960 * Mary Bunting, 1960–1972 *

Matina Horner Matina Souretis Horner (born July 28, 1939) is an American psychologist who was the sixth president of Radcliffe College. Her research interests included intelligence, motivation, and achievement of women. She is known for pioneering the concep ...

, 1972–1989 * Linda Wilson, 1989–1999

Deans

* Frances R. Brown * Agnes Irwin, 1894–1909

Notable alumnae

Architects and landscape architects

* Lois Wilson Langhorst, class of 1966, architect and educator; pioneer of modernist architecture * Judith Ledeboer, architect *

Ellen Biddle Shipman Ellen Biddle Shipman (November 5, 1869 – March 27, 1950) was an American landscape architect known for her formal gardens and lush planting style. Along with Beatrix Farrand and Marian Cruger Coffin, she dictated the style of the time and stron ...

, landscape architect (left after one year) * Anne Whiston Spirn, landscape architect

Art and architecture historians

* Leila Cook Barber, MA degree 1928, art historian and

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...

, specializing in the

Renaissance art Renaissance art (1350 – 1620 AD) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occ ...

and

medieval studies Medieval studies is the academic interdisciplinary study of the Middle Ages. Institutional development The term 'medieval studies' began to be adopted by academics in the opening decades of the twentieth century, initially in the titles of books ...

. *

Mary Berenson Mary Berenson (born Mary Whitall Smith; 1864 in Pennsylvania – 1945 in Italy) was an art historian, now thought to have had a large hand in some of the writings of her second husband, Bernard Berenson. Biography Her father was Robert Pears ...

(1864–1945), Harvard Annex student 1884-1885, art historian *

Katharine Seymour Day Katharine Seymour Day (May 8, 1870 - June 4, 1964) was an American preservationist from Hartford, Connecticut. She worked as a member of the Hartford City Planning Commission to preserve historic homes in Connecticut and helped establish the Chi ...

, historical preservationist * Florence M. Montgomery (1914–1998), American art historian and curator at

Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library is an American estate and museum in Winterthur, Delaware. Pronounced “winter-tour," Winterthur houses one of the richest collections of Americana in the United States. The museum and estate were the home o ...

* Eva Moseley, American curator and archivist * Phoebe Stanton (1914–2003), MA 1939,

architectural historian An architectural historian is a person who studies and writes about the history of architecture, and is regarded as an authority on it. Professional requirements As many architectural historians are employed at universities and other facilities ...

, professor at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

, and urban planner for Baltimore.

Lawyers and judges

Deborah Batts Deborah Anne Batts (April 13, 1947 – February 3, 2020) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. During Gay Pride Week in June 1994, Batts was sworn in as a United States distr ...

, judge * Cora Agnes Benneson, attorney, lecturer, and writer * Marsha Berzon, judge * Elaine Denniston, lawyer, supported the Apollo program * Jennifer Gordon, workers rights activist, lawyer *

Karen Nelson Moore Karen Nelson Moore (born November 19, 1948) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Her chambers are in Cleveland, Ohio. Education Moore received h ...

, judge

Physicians

* Sara Murray Jordan, gastroenterologist *

Judith Palfrey Judith Palfrey (born 1945) is the T. Berry Brazelton Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and the author of ''Community Child Health: An Action Plan for Today'' (1995) and ''Child Health In America: Making A Difference Through Advoca ...

, pediatrician and author * Carla J. Shatz, neuroscientist *

Nancy Wexler Nancy Wexler (born 19 July 1945) FRCP is an American geneticist and the Higgins Professor of Neuropsychology in the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, best known for her involve ...

, geneticist

Writers, poets, journalists, and editor

Virginia Hamilton Adair Virginia Hamilton Adair (February 28, 1913, New York City – September 16, 2004, Claremont, California) was an American poet who became famous later in life with the 1996 publication of ''Ants on the Melon''. Background Mary Virginia Hamilton wa ...

, poet * Alice Adams, writer *

Fannie Fern Andrews Fannie Fern Andrews (Phillips) (1867–1950) was an American lecturer, teacher, social worker, and writer. Biography Fannie Fern and Frank Edward Phillips were twins, born on 25 September 1867 at Middleton, Annapolis (Nova Scotia) to Anni ...

, writer * Margaret Atwood, 1961, author * Marita Bonner, writer, playwright *

Elizabeth Brewster Elizabeth Winifred Brewster, (26 August 1922 – 26 December 2012) was a Canadian poet, author, and academic. Biography Born in the logging village of Chipman, New Brunswick, Brewster was the youngest of Frederick John and Ethel May (Day) ...

, poet *

Barbara Epstein Barbara Epstein ( Zimmerman; August 30, 1928 – June 16, 2006) was a literary editor and founding co-editor of ''The New York Review of Books''. Life and work Epstein, née Zimmerman, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to a Jewish family, and g ...

, literary editor *

Anne Fadiman Anne Fadiman (born August 7, 1953) is an American essayist and reporter. Her interests include literary journalism, essays, memoir, and autobiography. She has received the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for ...

, essayist and reporter *

Norma Farber Norma Holzmann Farber (6 August 1909 – 21 March 1984) was an American children's book writer and poet. The Poetry Society of America presents the Norma Farber First Book Award, which is awarded for a first book of original poetry written by an A ...

, children's book writer and poet *

Anne Garrels Anne Longworth Garrels (July 2, 1951 – September 7, 2022) was an American broadcast journalist who worked as a foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, as well as for ABC and NBC, and other media.Engle, Jane"From Beijing to Baghdad, ...

, journalist *

Katharine Fullerton Gerould Katharine Elizabeth Fullerton Gerould (February 6, 1879 – July 27, 1944) was an American writer and essayist. Biography Katharine Fullerton was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, and became the adopted daughter of Reverend Bradford Morton Fullert ...

, novelist *

Amy Goodman Amy Goodman (born April 13, 1957) is an American broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter, and author. Her investigative journalism career includes coverage of the East Timor independence movement, Morocco's occupation ...

, journalist and political activist *

Ellen Goodman Ellen Goodman (née Holtz; born April 11, 1941) is an American journalist and syndicated columnist. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1980. She is also a speaker and commentator. Career Goodman's career began as a researcher and reporter for ''Newsweek ...

, journalist and writer *

Joyce Ballou Gregorian Joyce Ballou Gregorian Hampshire (July 5, 1946 – April 29, 1991) was an American author, expert on Oriental rugs, and horse breeder. Life Joyce Ballou Gregorian was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the third child of Phebe Ballou, of New England ...

, 1968, science fiction author * Melissa Glenn Haber, writer * Rachel Hadas, poet, teacher, essayist, and translator *

Rona Jaffe Rona Jaffe (June 12, 1931 – December 30, 2005) was an American novelist who published numerous works from 1958 to 2003. During the 1960s, she also wrote cultural pieces for ''Cosmopolitan''. Biography Jaffe was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1 ...

, author * Helen Keller, deaf blind writer, activist *

Maxine Kumin Maxine Kumin (June 6, 1925 – February 6, 2014) was an American poet and author. She was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1981–1982. Biography Early years Maxine Kumin was born Maxine Winokur on June ...

, poet and author * Jean Kwok, author *

Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the '' Earthsea'' fantasy series. She was ...

, American writer, poet * Alison Lurie, writer * Michel McQueen Martin, 1980, journalist *

Anne McCaffrey Anne Inez McCaffrey (1 April 1926 – 21 November 2011) was an American-Irish writer known for the ''Dragonriders of Pern'' science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, ''Weyr Search'', 19 ...

, 1947, science fiction author * Priscilla Johnson McMillan, MA 1953, journalist, translator, author, historian * Daisy Newman, writer * Andrea Nye a feminist philosopher and writer *

Linda Pastan Linda Pastan (born May 27, 1932, in New York) is an American poet of Jewish background. From 1991 to 1995 she was Poet Laureate of Maryland. She is known for writing short poems that address topics like family life, domesticity, motherhood, the fe ...

, poet *

Julia Quinn Julie Pottinger (née Cotler; born 1970), better known by her pen name Julia Quinn, is a best-selling American author of historical romance fiction. Her novels have been translated into 41 languages, and have appeared on ''The New York Times'' Be ...

, ''New York Times'' best selling author *

Clara Claiborne Park Clara Claiborne Park (August 19, 1923 – July 3, 2010) was an American college English teacher and author who was best known for her writings about her experiences raising her autistic daughter, the artist Jessica Park. Her 1967 book, ''The ...

(1923–2010), author who raised awareness of autism *

Josephine Preston Peabody Josephine Preston Peabody (May 30, 1874 – December 4, 1922) was an American poet and dramatist. Biography Peabody was born in New York and educated at the Girls' Latin School, Boston, and at Radcliffe College. In 1898, she was introduced ...

, poet *

Katha Pollitt Katha Pollitt (born October 14, 1949) is an American poet, essayist and critic. She is the author of four essay collections and two books of poetry. Her writing focuses on political and social issues from a left-leaning perspective, including abo ...

, poet, essayist and critic *

Francine Prose Francine Prose (born April 1, 1947) is an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and critic. She is a visiting professor of literature at Bard College, and was formerly president of PEN American Center. Life and career Born in Brookl ...

writer *

Adrienne Rich Adrienne Cecile Rich ( ; May 16, 1929 – March 27, 2012) was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was called "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century", and was credited with bringing "the ...

, poet *

Margot Roosevelt Margot Roosevelt (born Margot Roosevelt Barmine; August 13, 1950) is an American journalist who covers economic and labor news for the ''Los Angeles Times''. She is a great-granddaughter of President Theodore Roosevelt. Early life Roosevelt is ...

, journalist * Elsie Singmaster, author *

Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny West neighborhood and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris ...

, American writer, poet, playwright and feminist *

Lily Tuck Lily Tuck (born October 10, 1938) is an American novelist and short story writer whose novel ''The News from Paraguay'' won the 2004 National Book Award for Fiction.Jean Valentine __NOTOC__ Jean Valentine (April 27, 1934December 29, 2020) was an American poet and the New York State Poet Laureate from 2008 to 2010. Her poetry collection, ''Door in the Mountain: New and Collected Poems, 1965–2003'', was awarded the 2004 N ...

, poet *

Lally Weymouth Elizabeth Morris "Lally" Graham Weymouth (born July 3, 1943) is an American journalist, and senior associate editor of ''The Washington Post''. She was previously special diplomatic correspondent for ''Newsweek'' magazine during her family's own ...

, journalist *

Hannah Weiner Hannah Adelle Weiner ( née Finegold) (November 4, 1928 – September 11, 1997) was an American poet who is often grouped with the ''Language poets'' because of the prominent place she assumed in the poetics of that group. Early life and writin ...

, poet *

Natalie Wexler Natalie L. Wexler is an American education writer focusing on literacy and equity issues. Background and Career Wexler is a graduate of the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore and Radcliffe College ( A.B. 1976, magna cum laude), where she wrote for th ...

, novelist * Ruth Whitman, poet *

Charlotte Wilder Charlotte Wilder (Aug 28, 1898 – May 26, 1980 Brattleboro, Vermont) was an American poet and academic who worked in the Federal Writers Project. Wilder published poetry in ''The Nation'' and ''Poetry Magazine''. She also published poetry ...

, MA, poet and eldest sister of

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel '' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and '' The Skin of Our Teeth'' — ...

Others

Elizabeth Bailey Elizabeth Ellery Bailey ( Raymond; November 26, 1938 – August 19, 2022) was an American economist. She was the John C. Hower Professor of Business and Public Policy, at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Bailey studied der ...

, economist * Tryphosa Bates-Batcheller, singer * Gail Lee Bernstein, Japanese historian * Susan Berresford, 1965, president of the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

1996–2007 * Benazir Bhutto, first woman elected to lead a Muslim state, Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988–1990; 1993–1996) * Melissa Block, radio journalist, co-host, ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

'' * Thérèse Bonney, photographer and publicist * Jane Britton, 1967, murdered while a graduate student at Harvard University * Stockard Channing, actress, famous for her roles in '' Grease'' and ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

'' *

Nancy Chodorow Nancy Julia Chodorow (born January 20, 1944) is an American sociologist and professor. She began her career as a professor of Women's studies at Wellesley College in 1973, and from 1974 on taught at the University of California, Santa Cruz, unti ...

, sociologist * Judy Clapp, 1952, computer scientist * Zoe Cruz, business, co-president of

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...

(most powerful woman on Wall Street) * Natalie Zemon Davis, historian of the early modern period *

Frances Gardiner Davenport Frances Gardiner Davenport (1870 – November 11, 1927) was an American historian who specialized in the later Middle Ages and the European colonization of the New World. Early life Born in 1870, Davenport was educated at Barnard College and Radc ...

(1870–1927), historian of he later

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and the

European colonization The historical phenomenon of colonization is one that stretches around the globe and across time. Ancient and medieval colonialism was practiced by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Turks, and the Arabs. Colonialism in the modern sense began ...

* Jane Dempsey Douglass, feminist theologian, ecclesiastical historian, and president of the

World Alliance of Reformed Churches The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) was a fellowship of more than 200 churches with roots in the 16th-century Reformation, and particularly in the theology of John Calvin. Its headquarters was in Geneva, Switzerland. They are now merged ...

* Peggy Dulany, heiress and philanthropist *

Eva Beatrice Dykes Eva Beatrice Dykes (13 August 1893 – 29 October 1986) was the first black American woman to fulfill the requirements for a doctoral degree, and the third to be awarded a PhD. Early life and education Dykes was born in Washington, D.C. on Au ...

, academic * Debbie Ellison, model * Rebecca Elson, writer and astronomer *

Abigail Folger Abigail () was an Israelite woman in the Hebrew Bible married to Nabal; she married the future King David after Nabal's death (1 Samuel ). Abigail was David's second wife, after Saul and Ahinoam's daughter, Michal, whom Saul later married ...

, 1964, American coffee heiress, debutante, socialite, volunteer social worker, civil rights devotee *

Mary Parker Follett Mary Parker Follett (3 September 1868 – 18 December 1933) was an American social worker, management consultant, philosopher and pioneer in the fields of organizational theory and organizational behavior. Along with Lillian Gilbreth, she was one ...

, social worker, management consultant, and philosopher * Carol Gilligan, feminist, ethicist, and psychologist * Susanna Grannis, academic and nonprofit organizer * Phyllis Granoff, academic of

Indic Indic may refer to: * Indic languages (disambiguation) * Various scripts: ** Brahmic scripts, a family of scripts used to write Indian and other Asian languages ** Kharosthi (extinct) * Indian numerals * Indian religions, also known as the Dharm ...

religions * Linda Greenhouse, legal journalist * Marjorie Grene, philosopher * Gisela Kahn Gresser, chess player * Lani Guinier, legal scholar and civil rights theorist * Amy Gutmann, current president of the University of Pennsylvania * Virginia Hall, SOE spy * Olive Hazlett, mathematician * Diana Mara Henry, photographer * Helen Sawyer Hogg, astronomer * Elizabeth Holtzman, politician * Elizabeth Hubbard, actress * Ruth Hubbard, professor, biologist, feminist * Josephine Hull, stage and film actress * Leslie P. Hume, historian and philanthropist * Catharine Sargent Huntington, actress, producer, director, founder of multiple theater companies, activist * Lydia P. Jackson, former Louisiana state legislator * Nancy Johnson, politician * Roberta Karmel (born 1937), Centennial Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, and first female Securities and Exchange Commission appointees, commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission * Caroline Kennedy, author and diplomat * Sinah Estelle Kelley, chemist * Susanne Langer, philosopher * Mary Lasker, health activist and philanthropist * Henrietta Swan Leavitt, astronomer * Mary Lefkowitz, scholar of Classics * Edith Lesley, academic and founder of Lesley University * Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson, Swedish princess * Pauline Maier, historian * Emily Mann (director), Emily Mann (BA English literature 1974), director * Elizabeth Holloway Marston, MA 1921—involved in the creation of the comic book character Wonder Woman * Helen Reimensnyder Martin, novelist * Jessica Mathews * Jean Trepp McKelvey (1908–1998), American economist * Laura Meneses, political activist * Alice Vanderbilt Morris * Amelia Muir Baldwin, interior designer and women's suffrage activist * Chris Mulford, AB 1963, breastfeeding advocate * Laura Nader, professor in controlling processes * Ursula Oppens, classical pianist * Deborah Orin, journalist * Mary White Ovington, activist, NAACP founder * Masako, Empress of Japan, Masako Owada, 1985, empress of Japan * Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, astronomer * Carol Potter (actress), Carol Potter, actress * Bonnie Raitt (attended one year), Grammy Award-winning singer and musician * Philinda Rand, American English language, English-language teacher in the Philippines * Lois Rice, 1954, vice president of the College Board and architect of the Pell Grant * Emeline Hill Richardson, archeologist * Alice Rivlin, economist * Helen Jean Rogers, television producer * Judith Ann Wilson Rogers * Michelle Rosaldo, anthropologist * Phyllis Schlafly, political activist, coined term ''A choice not an echo'' * Ellen Schrecker, historian * Mary Sears (oceanographer), Mary Sears, oceanographer * Edie Sedgwick (attended), iconic American socialite and Warhol superstar * Judith Shuval, sociologist * Cynthia Solomon, computer scientist, co-designer of Logo (programming language), and co-developer of LCSI Logo. * Diane Souvaine, computer scientist * Diane B. Snelling, politician * Edith G. Stedman, 1910, head the Appointment Bureau 1930–1954 * Doris Zemurray Stone, 1930 (1909–1994), archaeologist and ethnographer of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures * Penn State Abington#History, Abby A. Sutherland, cum laude graduate, head mistress, president, and owner of The Ogontz School for Girls. Sutherland deeded the school to Penn State in 1950. * Mary E. Switzer, public administrator and social reformer * Martha J. B. Thomas, (1926–2006), PhD MBA, chemical engineer * Caroline Thompson, screenwriter-director * Barbara W. Tuchman, historian and author * Abby Howe Turner, zoologist * Ruth Turner, marine biologist * Julie Vargas, educator * Emily Vermeule, archeologist * Maribel Vinson, figure skater * Caroline F. Ware, historian * Ruth Wendell Washburn, educational psychologist * Marina von Neumann Whitman, economist * Olive Winchester, professor at the Point Loma Nazarene College, Point Loma, Northwest Nazarene College, Northwest, and Eastern Nazarene College, Eastern Nazarene colleges * Marie Winn, ornithologist

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radcliffe College people Lists of people by university or college in Massachusetts Radcliffe College people, *