Edith Nason Buckingham (September 28, 1877 – February 23, 1954) was an American zoologist, dog breeder, and chicken farmer. She was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in zoology at
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...
.
Early life
Buckingham was born in Boston, the daughter of Edward Marshall Buckingham and Alice Darracott Nason Buckingham. Her father and grandfather were both Harvard-trained physicians. Her sister Margaret married biochemist Addison Gulick. She attended Girls Latin School and the Curtis-Peabody School. She attended Radcliffe College, graduating in 1902, and was president of the Radcliffe Science Club.
In 1910, Buckingham became the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in zoology at Radcliffe, with a dissertation titled "Division of Labor among Ants" (1911). Her supervisor was
Edward Laurens Mark
Edward Laurens Mark (May 30, 1847 – December 16, 1946) was an American zoologist, Hersey Professor of Anatomy and Director of the Zoological Laboratory of the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) at Harvard University.Harvard Zoological Laboratory. In connection with that project, she also wrote "A Light-Weight, Portable Outfit for the Study and Transportation of Ants" (1909), published in ''
The American Naturalist
''The American Naturalist'' is the monthly Peer review, peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society of Naturalists, whose purpose is "to advance and to diffuse knowledge of organic evolution and other broad biological principles so as ...
.''
Career
Buckingham worked at the
Bermuda Biological Station for Research
The ASU Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (known as ASU BIOS) is a non-profit marine science and education institute located in Ferry Reach, St. George's, Bermuda, St. George's, Bermuda and affiliated with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Future ...
after college, and taught science at high schools in
Concord
Concord may refer to:
Meaning "agreement"
* Harmony, in music
* Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other words
Arts and media
* ''Concord'' (video game), a defunct 2024 first-person sh ...
and
Abington, Massachusetts
Abington is a New England town, town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, southeast of Boston. The population was 17,062 at the 2020 census.
History
Before the Europeans made their claim to the area, the local Native Americans r ...
. She was an active member of
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...
.
From 1927, Buckingham and her partner owned and operated Featherland Farm, a chicken farm in
Sudbury, Massachusetts
Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,934. The town, located in Greater Boston's MetroWest region, has a colonial history.
History
Incorporated in 1639, the boundar ...
. The farm grew to a large business, including farm equipment rentals. She also bred and raised show dogs, and was a founding member of the New England Old English Sheep Dog Club. She was a member of the Sudbury Woman's Club and the Sudbury Garden Club, and taught Sunday school at an Episcopal church. She claimed that the "Grandmother's house" of
Lydia Maria Child
Lydia Maria Child ( Francis; February 11, 1802October 20, 1880) was an American Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, women's rights activist, Native Americans in the United States, Native American rights activist, novelist, journalis ...
's 1844 "
Over the river and through the wood
"The New-England Boy's Song about Thanksgiving Day", also known as "Over the River and Through the Wood", is a Thanksgiving (United States), Thanksgiving poem by Lydia Maria Child, originally published in 1844 in ''Flowers for Children'', Volum ...
" lyric was her farmhouse in Sudbury.
Personal life
Buckingham lived and worked with Emily G. Fish. Edith N. Buckingham died in 1954, at a Sudbury town meeting, aged 78 years. After her death, the Framingham District Kennel Club gave a Memorial Trophy in her name. Some of her correspondence is in the Gulick Family Papers at the
Massachusetts Historical Society
The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history. The Massachusetts Historical Society was established in 1791 and is located at 1154 Boylston Street ...