Elizabeth Wagner Reed
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Elizabeth Wagner Reed (August 27, 1912 – July 14, 1996) was an American geneticist and one of the first scientists to work on ''
Drosophila ''Drosophila'' (), from Ancient Greek δρόσος (''drósos''), meaning "dew", and φίλος (''phílos''), meaning "loving", is a genus of fly, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or p ...
''
speciation Speciation is the evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species. The biologist Orator F. Cook coined the term in 1906 for cladogenesis, the splitting of lineages, as opposed to anagenesis, phyletic evolution within ...
. She taught
women's studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on Feminism, feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining Social constructionism, social and cultural constructs of gender; ...
courses and had a particular interest in research aimed at recovering the history of nineteenth-century women scientists. Born in the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
to a Northern Irish nurse and an American civil servant, she grew up in
Carroll, Ohio Carroll is a village in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The population was 501 at the 2020 census. History Carroll was laid out in 1829 at the junction of two canals. The village was named after Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737&ndas ...
. After earning bachelor's, master's, and PhD degrees from
Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
, she became a teacher with an interest in genetics. In the 1940s, she worked with her husband on plant genetics at the
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Texas A&M AgriLife Research is the agricultural and life sciences research agency of the U.S. state of Texas and a part of the Texas A&M University System. Formerly named Texas Agricultural Research Service, the agency's name was changed January ...
. After he was killed in action during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, she returned to Ohio and conducted studies on penicillin at the Ohio State Research Foundation. After a second marriage to
Sheldon C. Reed Sheldon Clark Reed (November 7, 1910 – February 1, 2003) was an American biologist and geneticist who coined the term ''genetic counseling'' and advocated for the wider use of genetic counseling as a means to educate the public. Education Re ...
, the couple became research partners, first at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
and from 1947 at the Dight Institute for Human Genetics at the
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
. As her husband directed the institute which had rules against nepotism, although she had a work station at the institute, Reed was not listed as staff until the 1970s. She was one of the few women who performed pioneering work in genetics. Her studies first focused on species evolution, for which she undertook statistical analysis and comparison of minute differences in the ''Drosophila'' genus of flies. Later, as the couple's interest shifted to human genetics, the Reeds published works on
congenital disorders A birth defect is an abnormal condition that is present at birth, regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can range from mild to severe. Birth de ...
and diseases. They were in favor of
genetic counseling Genetic counseling is the process of investigating individuals and families affected by or at risk of genetic disorders to help them understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease. ...
based on an understanding of how such disorders occurred, especially in connection with family planning. In addition to her genetic work, Reed wrote about
sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...
toward women scientists. An active women's rights advocate, she not only strove to mentor other women in the profession, but to recover the histories of women scientists. Her book ''American Women in Science before the Civil War'' (1992), reclaimed the contributions and biographies of twenty-two women who published in science before the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. Among them were
Eunice Newton Foote Eunice Newton Foote (July 17, 1819 – September 30, 1888) was an American scientist, inventor, and women's rights campaigner. She was the first scientist to identify the insulating effect of certain gases, and that therefore rising carbon ...
and Mary Amelia Swift. Reed's own legacy was obscured by her husband's prominence, until her contributions were recovered by Marta Velasco Martín in 2020.


Early life and education

Elizabeth Cleland Wagner was born on August 27, 1912, in
Baguio Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...
, on the island of
Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
, in the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
to Catherine (née Cleland) and John O. Wagner. Her mother was from
Killyleagh Killyleagh (; ) is a village and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the A22 road between Belfast and Downpatrick, on the western side of Strangford Lough. It had a population of 2,787 people in the 2021 Census. It is bes ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, but was working as a nurse and nurse trainer in the Philippines when she met her husband. Her father served in the
Spanish-American War Spanish Americans (, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in the modern United States, with a ...
and afterwards worked in various
civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...
positions during the period when the Philippines was an
unincorporated territory Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions and dependent territory, dependent territories overseen by the federal government of the United States. The American territories differ from the U.S. states and Indi ...
of the United States, including as a court interpreter and secretary to the Governor of the
Mountain Province Mountain Province (; ; ; ; ; ) is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc while Bauko is the largest municipality. Mountain Province was formerly referred to as Mountain ...
on Luzon. Her only sibling died in infancy. In 1917, the family returned to Wagner's home state of Ohio and settled in
Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio * Fairfield County, South Carolina {{Geodis, uscounty ...
, where her father operated a fruit orchard. Wagner grew up near
Carroll, Ohio Carroll is a village in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The population was 501 at the 2020 census. History Carroll was laid out in 1829 at the junction of two canals. The village was named after Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737&ndas ...
, and graduated from Canal Winchester High School. From 1930, she furthered her studies at
Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
, majoring in
botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
. She excelled in her studies and in her second year had the highest marks in her class. She graduated with honors and was elected to the academic
honor society In the United States, an honor society is an organization that recognizes individuals who rank above a set standard in various domains such as academics, leadership, and other personal achievements, not all of which are based on ranking systems. ...
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, ...
, in 1933. With support from the Ohio State Graduate School, Wagner earned her master's degree in 1934 and a PhD in 1936. After graduation, she did further studies in 1937 in plant research, with funding provided by the Sherwin-Williams Paint Company. Because of biases against women, Wagner was told she should publish her research using only her initials. Thus, her thesis, ''Effects of Certain Insecticides and Inert Materials upon the Transpiration Rate of Bean Plants'', published in 1939, appeared in the name of E. C. Wagner.


Career


Early teaching career (1938–1943)

After completing her studies, Wagner was hired as a biology and chemistry instructor at Atlantic Christian College in
Wilson, North Carolina Wilson is a city in and the county seat of Wilson County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, 23rd-most populous city in North Carolina. Located about east of the capital city of Raleigh, North Car ...
. In 1938, she was promoted to head the school's biology department and worked there until her marriage in 1940. Wagner married James O. Beasley, a pioneering plant geneticist, on September 17, 1940. After their marriage, the couple moved to
College Station, Texas College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States, situated in East-Central Texas in the Brazos Valley, towards the eastern edge of the region known as the Texas Triangle. It is northwest of Houston and east-northeast of Austin, ...
, where both were employed at the
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Texas A&M AgriLife Research is the agricultural and life sciences research agency of the U.S. state of Texas and a part of the Texas A&M University System. Formerly named Texas Agricultural Research Service, the agency's name was changed January ...
. Beasley was drafted to fight in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in 1942 shortly after Wagner published her second paper and just prior to the birth of their son John in April. Soon after, Beasley went missing in action and Wagner contacted his friend,
Sheldon C. Reed Sheldon Clark Reed (November 7, 1910 – February 1, 2003) was an American biologist and geneticist who coined the term ''genetic counseling'' and advocated for the wider use of genetic counseling as a means to educate the public. Education Re ...
, to see if he had any information. She returned to Ohio with their son and lived with her parents during this time, while working on
penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of beta-lactam antibiotic, β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' Mold (fungus), moulds, principally ''Penicillium chrysogenum, P. chrysogenum'' and ''Penicillium rubens, P. ru ...
studies at the Ohio State Research Foundation. Wagner was notified in November 1943, that Beasley had been in killed in action, in September 1943 in Italy. He was subsequently awarded a
Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...
.


Genetics work (1944–1966)

In 1944, Wagner took a post at
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. The college be ...
in
Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Town of Poughkeepsie, New York (state), New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie i ...
, as an assistant professor in plant sciences. In 1945, she relocated to
Delaware, Ohio Delaware is a city in Delaware County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located near the center of Ohio, about north of Columbus as part of the Columbus metropolitan area. The population was 41,302 at the 2020 census. Delaware ...
, and taught botany at
Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (abbrevriated OWU) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Ohio Valley, Centra ...
. On August 20, 1946, she and Sheldon Reed, who had remained in touch, married. He was at the time an assistant professor at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, teaching biology. After their marriage, the couple lived in
Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...
, and both worked at Harvard. They began collaborating on research at that time and thereafter jointly published works. Their first project concerned the
speciation Speciation is the evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species. The biologist Orator F. Cook coined the term in 1906 for cladogenesis, the splitting of lineages, as opposed to anagenesis, phyletic evolution within ...
of flies, which was published as ''Morphological Differences and Problems of Speciation in '' in March 1948. Reed gave birth to their daughter, Catherine, that same month. By the time the paper was published, the family had moved to
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
, where Sheldon had become the director of the Dight Institute for Human Genetics at the
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
in 1947. Although Reed had a desk at the Dight Institute from 1947 to 1966, she never held an academic position with the institute because of nepotism rules. Her nominal tie was to the University of Minnesota. She nevertheless continued to work with Sheldon and publish works on genetics. Their next two papers, ''Natural Selection in Laboratory Populations of '' (1948) and ''Natural Selection in Laboratory Populations of II: Competition between a White Eye Gene and Its Wild Type Allele'' (1950), focused on ''
Drosophila melanogaster ''Drosophila melanogaster'' is a species of fly (an insect of the Order (biology), order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the "vinegar fly", "pomace fly" ...
'' and
natural selection Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the Heredity, heritable traits characteristic of a population over generation ...
. These studies were important in the development of new theoretical and methodological approaches, using statistical analysis and comparison of minute differences, to studying the process of speciation. As a pioneer in the work on ''Drosophila'' genetics, Reed was one of the women who contributed to establishing and standardizing processes to study species evolution. From 1950, the Reeds changed from studying flies to human genetics and published works together on
intellectual disability Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability (in the United Kingdom), and formerly mental retardation (in the United States), Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010).Archive is a generalized neurodevelopmental ...
. In June 1951, their son William was born. Many of their works, like a 1958 follow-up study of former residents from the turn-of-the-century at the Minnesota Experimental School for the Feeble Minded in Faribault, and a 1962 study on intelligence, focused on families and attempted to determine whether certain traits were genetic. They became proponents of
genetic counseling Genetic counseling is the process of investigating individuals and families affected by or at risk of genetic disorders to help them understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease. ...
, studying parental genes to determine the probable source of children's
congenital disorders A birth defect is an abnormal condition that is present at birth, regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can range from mild to severe. Birth de ...
or diseases, in an effort to mitigate and understand how they occurred. Their best known joint book, which gave Reed lead author position, was ''Mental Retardation: A Family Study'', published in 1965.


Women's studies (1950–1992)

From 1950, Reed was interested in writing about women and studying
sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...
in science. Having been a member of
Sigma Delta Epsilon Graduate Women in Science (GWIS), formerly known as Sigma Delta Epsilon (ΣΔΕ), is an international professional organization for women in science. It was established as a scientific women's fraternity in 1921 at Cornell University, United State ...
, an organization dedicated to fostering women in their scientific endeavors, she recognized that issues of self-esteem, family obligations, and sexual discrimination they faced were largely responsible for women leaving the profession. That year, she published ''Productivity and Attitudes of Seventy Scientific Women'', which analyzed the impact of marriage and childbirth on scientific careers. She noted that of the women in her sample four-fifths regardless of marital status indicated working was a necessity for financial reasons. She concluded that in her study group marriage and children were the primary reason women abandoned scientific careers. Aware of the difficulties, Reed tried to encourage members of Sigma Delta Epsilon to continue working and to know their rights. She was a committed women's rights activist, supporter of the
National Abortion Rights Action League Reproductive Freedom for All, formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America and commonly known as simply NARAL ( ), is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization in the United States that engages in lobbying, political action, and advocacy efforts to oppose rest ...
, and served on the board of
Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization
. The push of activists in the
Women's Liberation Movement The women's liberation movement (WLM) was a political alignment of women and feminist intellectualism. It emerged in the late 1960s and continued till the 1980s, primarily in the industrialized nations of the Western world, which resulted in g ...
in the 1970s brought about the advent of
women's studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on Feminism, feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining Social constructionism, social and cultural constructs of gender; ...
courses. A central role of the new field was to recover the histories of women's participation and contributions to society. In 1992, Reed published ''American Women in Science before the Civil War'', which recovered the histories of twenty-two American women scientists who had published prior to the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. The book, along with ''Ladies in the Laboratory'' by Mary R. S. Creese, was acknowledged by Tina Gianquitto, a professor at the
Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines (Mines) is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1874, the school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on ener ...
, whose work focuses in on nineteenth-century women scientists, as being one of two sources that gave extensive historical and biographical information on women scientists of that era. Historian William P. Palmer noted in 2011 that Reed had been "the most thorough biographer of Mary Amelia Swift". In a different chapter of the book, about
Eunice Newton Foote Eunice Newton Foote (July 17, 1819 – September 30, 1888) was an American scientist, inventor, and women's rights campaigner. She was the first scientist to identify the insulating effect of certain gases, and that therefore rising carbon ...
, Reed wrote that Foote's experiments confirmed that when subjected to sunlight, carbon dioxide became warmer than air "thereby demonstrating what we call the greenhouse effect today".


Later career (1966–1980)

In 1966, Reed was officially hired by the University of Minnesota to develop the ''Minne''sota ''Ma''thematics and ''S''cience ''T''eaching project, known as Minnemast. The program was funded by the
National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
and aimed to focus on better science and math education for kindergarten and primary school children. Reed worked on the project through 1970. The project developed twenty-nine teaching plans, six of which were created by Reed. She was still working at the Dight Institute and was part of the staff in the 1970s, as well as serving as co-director of research for the Minnesota Genetics League. She taught courses at the University of Minnesota and gave courses on women's contributions throughout history at the university's Continuing Education and Extension Department.


Death and legacy

Reed died on July 14, 1996, in
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
,
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
. Her legacy in genetics was obscured and according to scholar Marta Velasco Martín, the academic record omitted the involvement of Reed and other women scientists from the historic record of early genetic research. Reed's work was hidden behind that of her more prominent husband, although he acknowledged their partnership. This same fate befell women scientists like Foote, whose biography was "recovered" by Reed. Foote had told
Elizabeth Cady Stanton Elizabeth Cady Stanton ( Cady; November 12, 1815 – October 26, 1902) was an American writer and activist who was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-19th century. She was the main force behind the 1848 ...
in 1868 that women's work was often claimed by men for self-serving reasons. Reed's legacy, along with that of Natasha Sivertzeva-Dobzhansk and
María Monclús Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, d ...
, was recovered in the paper ''Women and Partnership Genealogies in Drosophila Population Genetics'', written by Velasco Martín in 2020, to confirm that women were pioneers in genetics, although leading historians tended to ignore their contributions. On 22 April 2023, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' feature " Overlooked No More" honored Reed.


Selected publications

* * * * * * * * * *


Notes


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Elizabeth Wagner 1912 births 1996 deaths People from Baguio Ohio State University alumni Texas A&M University System people Vassar College faculty Ohio Wesleyan University faculty Harvard University faculty University of Minnesota faculty American geneticists American academics of women's studies 20th-century American women scientists 20th-century American biologists American people of Northern Ireland descent American women geneticists Graduate Women in Science members