Emilie Watts McVea (February 17, 1867 – July 26, 1928) was an American college administrator, dean of women at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

from 1909 to 1916, and president of

Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's liberal arts college in Sweet Briar, Amherst County, Virginia, Amherst County, Virginia. It was established in 1901 by Indiana Fletcher Williams in ...

from 1916 to 1925.

Early life

Emilie Watts McVea was born in

Clinton, Louisiana Clinton is a town in, and the parish seat of, East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The town was named for New York Governor DeWitt Clinton. The population was 1,340 in 2020. It is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical are ...

, one of the four daughters of Charles McVea and Emilie Rose Watts McVea. Her father, a judge, died in 1876, and she moved with her widowed mother and sisters to

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

to be closer to family. Her uncle, John Esten Cooke Smedes, was the second president of St. Augustine's College in Raleigh. She attended St. Mary's School in Raleigh, graduating in 1884. She earned a bachelor's degree in 1902, and a master's degree in 1903, both from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

Career

McVea taught at her ''alma mater'', St. Mary's School in Raleigh, and in 1898 became the school's "lady principal". After a break to attend college in Washington, D.C., she taught English literature at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

and at the University of Cincinnati; at the latter school she was also dean of women from 1909 to 1916. McVea was the second president of Sweet Briar College, in office from 1916 to 1925. Her tenure saw the school expand and improve in endowment, campus facilities, and reputation. After she retired from the presidency for health reasons in 1925, succeeded by

Meta Glass Meta Glass (August 16, 1880 – March 20, 1967) was an American classics scholar, educator, and college administrator. From 1925 through 1946, she was the third president of Sweet Briar College. She was also president of the Association of America ...

, she taught English at

Rollins College Rollins College is a Liberal arts college, private liberal arts college in Winter Park, Florida. It was founded in November 1885 and has about 30 undergraduate majors and several master's programs. Florida's fourth oldest post-secondary institut ...

in Florida. She was a co-founder of the Southern Association of College Women from 1903 to 1904, chaired the Education committee of the Ohio Federation of Women's Clubs in 1916, led the Cincinnati Woman's Club, and was active in the

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

movement and the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, she toured as a lecturer supporting the

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 ...

and wartime food programs. She wrote biographical articles for the ''Encyclopedia Americana'' (1920), and two monographs, ''Equal Franchise in Ohio'' and ''Suggestions for Teaching Literature in the Grades''. McVea was presented with two

honorary doctorates An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

, from the University of Cincinnati in 1916 and from the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

in 1921.

Personal life

McVea died in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

in 1928, aged 61 years. Her grave is in Raleigh's

Historic Oakwood Cemetery Historic Oakwood Cemetery was founded in 1869 in Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital of North Carolina, near the North Carolina State Capitol in the city's Historic Oakwood neighborhood. Historic Oakwood Cemetery contains two special ar ...

. Sweet Briar College honors the highest-ranking student in each class as an Emilie Watts McVea Scholar.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McVea, Emilie Watts 1867 births 1928 deaths People from Clinton, Louisiana Sweet Briar College faculty University of Cincinnati faculty University of Tennessee faculty Rollins College faculty Suffragists from Ohio American women academics St. Mary's School (North Carolina) alumni