Agnes Mary Claypole Moody (January 1, 1870 – August 29, 1954) was an American zoologist and professor of natural science.

Early life and education

Agnes Mary Claypole Moody was born in Bristol, England to Jane (Trotter) and Edward Waller Claypole. She had a twin sister, Edith Jane Claypole (1870–1915), who was also a biologist. Shortly after their birth, their mother and older brother passed away. She attended Buchtel College, and in 1894 she attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

for her master's degree. She completed doctoral work at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1896. For her Master of Science thesis, Moody studied the digestive tract of eels. Her 1896 doctoral dissertation at the University of Chicago was titled "The Embryology and Oögenesis of ''Anurida maritima''." Following completion of her doctorate, Moody served as an assistant at Cornell University despite her PhD, as women were relegated to the lowest ranks of faculty at the time.

Career

Moody was the first woman appointed to a teaching position in the Medical Department of

. She worked in various positions at Throop College, (now

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

), including as instructor in Zoology, and as Professor of Natural Science and Curator (1903-4). After moving to the northern California area, she was included in the first seven editions of American Men of Science. In these editions, a star was listed along with her name to show she was considered to be one of the top 1,000 scientists that resided in the United States. Moody was a longtime member of the city council in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

, from 1923 to 1932. She was also elected to Berkeley's school board, served as chair of the Berkeley Girl Scout Council, and was a member of Berkeley's

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...

. She served a term as president of the Berkeley Civic League, and was appointed to the Berkeley Charities Commission. Of her community work, a local historian in 1928 commented that "No woman of Alameda County has made a deeper impression on the educational and civil life of the community than Mrs. Agnes Claypole Moody."Frank Clinton Merritt
''History of Alameda County, California, Vol. 2''
(S. J. Clarke Publishing Company 1928): 247-248. Additionally, she was listed in '''American Men of Science as one of America's top 1,000 scientists. There was a Girl Scout camp near Berkeley named Camp Agnes Moody, after Dr. Moody, in the 1930s.

Personal life

Agnes Mary Claypole married Robert Orton Moody (an anatomy professor who was the son of

Mary Blair Moody Mary Jane Blair Moody (August 8, 1837August 18, 1919) was an American physician, anatomist and editor. She was the first woman to earn a degree from Buffalo Medical College, the first female member of the American Association of Anatomists, and ...

) in 1903 in Pasadena. She was widowed when he died in 1948. Agnes Claypole Moody died on August 29, 1954 in Alameda, California."California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, via

FamilySearch FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is part of the Church's Family History Department (FHD). The Fami ...

br>Agnes Claypole Moody
29 Aug 1954; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moody, Agnes Claypole 1870 births 1954 deaths American zoologists Cornell University alumni Scientists from Bristol