Clara Antoinette McCarty Wilt (1858–1929) was the first graduate of the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

and the first woman superintendent of the Pierce County School District.

Early life

McCarty was born on February 12, 1858, in Steilacoom, Washington. She was born to Jonathan Warren and Ruth Jane Kincaid McCarty. Jonathan and Ruth were two of the original settlers of the town of

Sumner, Washington Sumner is a city in northern Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,621 at the 2020 census. Nearby cities include Puyallup to the west, Auburn to the north, and Bonney Lake to the east. History Sumner was founde ...

. They were married on January 7, 1855, in the Sumner area. Clara was the second of five children: Charles C., Laura Candace, Mary Estelle, William W., and Frank Truman. In the years following their marriage, Jonathan and Ruth, along with Ruth's family moved to Fort Steilacoom when Sumner was threatened by Indians. While in Fort Steilacoom, Ruth had Clara in 1858. In 1859, Clara's family went back to their settlement to find it completely destroyed by the Indians. They started a new farm, and Clara's father worked as mailman servicing

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

and other places around the area, as well as keeping up the farm. In 1869, when Clara reached her preteens, she and her family moved to

so that she and her siblings could receive a better education. There, Clara's father worked in the meat business, continued his work as a mailman, and hauled coal from Lake Union to the bay.

Family

Clara married John Henry Wilt (1852–1907) on July 13, 1882. Together, they had one child, Clara May Wilt.

Accomplishments

Clara was a woman of many firsts. She is even recognized for purchasing the first

typewriter A typewriter is a Machine, mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of Button (control), keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an i ...

in Pierce County.

University of Washington Graduate

In 1876, Clara Antoinette McCarty Wilt graduated from the Territorial University, now known as the

, at the age of 18. She was the first person to successfully graduate from the University, let alone the first woman graduate. She graduated with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in science. At the time, the Territorial University was located in what is now downtown

, wedged between 4th and 6th Avenues on the west and east and Union and Seneca Streets on the north and south. In 1861, the first University building had four floors, and thirty-five rooms. Tuition was twenty two dollars a quarter when Clara attended the University. After graduating from the University, Clara taught in various schools, and then she attended the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

. In her honor, McCarty Hall, a

dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

on the current UW campus is named after her.

Superintendent of Pierce County Schools

On November 2, 1880, Clara was elected Superintendent of Pierce County Schools. With this achievement, she was the first Superintendent of Pierce County Schools, as well as being the first woman to hold office in the

Washington Territory The Washington Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

Later life and death

In her later years, Clara was very involved in her community, including working as a

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

secretary, typing for the County Court, and acted as secretary in her church. She was also involved in her local historical society. She died on January 19, 1929, at 71 years of age.

References

Sources

*"Descendants of Joseph Kincaid." Genealogy.Com. 2007. The Generations Network. 11 June 2008 . *"Historic Timeline." Town of Steilacoom. 11 June 2008 . *"History of Sumner, WA." 2006. City of Sumner. 11 June 2008 . *"History." Welcome to the University of Washington. University of Washington. 11 June 2008 . *Krohn, Thirza. "Faculty and Students in the Early Years At the U." University of Washington: a Pictorial History. 20 November 2007. University of Washington. 11 June 2008 . *Krohn, Thirza. "Territorial University." University of Washington: a Pictorial History. 20 November 2007. University of Washington. 11 June 2008 . *Kueter, Vince. "Seattle Through the Years." The Seattle Times 13 November 2001. 11 June 2008 . *Lange, Greg. "University of Washington Graduates First Person, a Woman, in July 1876." HistoryLink.Org. 5 November 1998. History Ink. 11 June 2008 . *Long, Priscilla. "Clara McCarty is Elected Superintendent of Pierce County Schools on November 2, 1880." HistoryLink.Org. 17 January 2003. History Ink. 11 June 2008 . *"Origins." Town of Steilacoom. 11 June 2008 . *"Our History." Town of Steilacoom. 11 June 2008 . *"Place Names." Town of Steilacoom. 11 June 2008 . *Ryan, Amy M. The Sumner Story. Sumner, WA: Sumner Historical Society, 1988.

External links

HistoryLink Essay: Clara McCarty is elected superintendent of Pierce County schools on November 2, 1880HistoryLink Essay: University of Washington graduates first person, a woman, in July 1876.
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCarty Wilt, Clara Antoinette 1858 births 1929 deaths American women academics Women of the Victorian era University of Washington alumni American pioneers Women in Washington (state) politics People from Steilacoom, Washington People from Washington Territory