Sarah Van Hoosen Jones (1892–1972) was the first woman in the United States to earn a

Doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

Animal Genetics ''Animal Genetics'' is a bi-monthly scientific journal published by the Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International Society for Animal Genetics. The impact factor of ''Animal Genetics'' is 2.605 (2009) making the journal number 9, out of 50, ...

. She later managed a Michigan Centennial Farm in Avon Township (later

Rochester Hills Rochester Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 76,300. It is the 14th-largest city in Michigan. The area was first occupied by settlers of European descent in 1 ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

and served on the elected Board of Trustees of Michigan State University. Jones was inducted into the

Michigan Women's Hall of Fame The Michigan Women's Hall of Fame (MWHOF) honors distinguished women, both historical and contemporary, who have been associated with the U.S. state of Michigan. The hall of fame was founded in 1983 by Gladys Beckwith and is sponsored by the Michi ...

in 1994 for her accomplishments in the fields of agriculture and education.

Early life and education

Jones was born on June 23, 1892, to Alice Van Hoosen and Joseph Jones on the family's farm in Stony Creek, Michigan. At an early age, her parents decided Jones would become a physician, but she longed to become a farmer. The young Jones had spent most of her childhood in Chicago but had visited the Van Hoosen Farm, often attired in overalls and high boots. Jones earned her bachelor's degree in foreign languages from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

and a master's degree in Animal Husbandry from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

. After informing her parents that medical school would not be appropriate for her, she went on to earn her doctorate in genetics from the University of Wisconsin, becoming the first woman in the United States to do so.Howard, Saralee R. ''Petticoat Farmer: The Saga of Sarah Van Hoosen Jones. ''Lansing, MI: Michigan History Division, 19-. 4 p.

Career

Work on the Van Hoosen farm

Two years after earning her doctorate, Jones decided to move back to her family's old farm. There, she practiced her skill in genetics on breeds of leghorn hens and various breeds of livestock including

Holstein cattle Holstein Friesians (often shortened to Holsteins in North America, while the term Friesians is often used in the UK and Ireland) are a breed of dairy cattle that originated in the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and Schleswig-Hols ...

. The farm began to produce certified

Vitamin A Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and an essential nutrient for humans. It is a group of organic compounds that includes retinol, retinal (also known as retinaldehyde), retinoic acid, and several provitamin A carotenoids (most notably ...

and

Vitamin D Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, and many other biological effects. In humans, the most important compounds in this group are vitamin D3 (c ...

milk from these cattle, whose genetics had gained a fair amount of popularity as the Van Hoosen Farm began branching out into retail sales during the Great Depression. The farm was run scientifically, and earned a reputation in being efficient as well as economically progressive which eventually earned her the title of "Master Farmer" by the ''Michigan Farmer'' in 1933. Her cattle won prizes in breeding and she was awarded the title of "Michigan Premier Breeder" for a total of nine years.

Work in education

Jones had made significant contributions to civic and educational affairs and served on the Rochester school board from 1924 to 1961, earning her a local nickname as the "first lady of Rochester." She was elected for two six-year terms to the State Board of Agriculture, which was the governing board of Michigan State University. Dr. Jones was also a member and president of the Association of Governing Boards of State Universities and Allied Institutions. She made a generous contribution to Michigan State University, first by donating 350 acres of farm land, and eventually, in her will, the remainder of her property, which included a dozen houses. The MSU residence hall Van Hoosen Hall was named in her honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Sarah Van Hoosen American geneticists Farmers from Michigan 20th-century American women farmers Scientists from Chicago People from Rochester Hills, Michigan 1892 births 1972 deaths University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences alumni University of Chicago alumni 20th-century American farmers