Mary Ethelwynn Rice Beckwith (January 7, 1879 – August 31, 1955) was an American mathematics educator. She held a PhD in economics from

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 ...

, and taught for over forty years, at the

Emma Willard School Emma Willard School, originally called Troy Female Seminary and often referred to simply as Emma, is an independent university-preparatory day and boarding school for young women located in Troy, New York. Located on Mount Ida, it offers grade ...

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

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 ...

, and

Milwaukee-Downer College Milwaukee-Downer College was a women's college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in operation from 1895 until its merger with Lawrence University in 1964. History Milwaukee-Downer College was established in 1895 with the merger of two institutions: Milwau ...

Early life and education

Mary Ethelwynn Rice was born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, the daughter of William Holden Price and Elizabeth P. Kinney Rice. Her father was an ordained minister, and she spent some of her girlhood in Hawaii, where she was valedictorian in the

Punahou School Punahou School (known as Oahu College until 1934) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 3,700 students attend the school from kindergarten through 12th grade. The school was established by P ...

class of 1896. Rice graduated from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

in 1900, and earned a master's degree at Western Reserve University in 1909. She pursued graduate studies at Vassar College and the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...

, and completed a doctorate in economics at Radcliffe College in 1925, with a dissertation titled "Inequalities in the Distribution of Income, their Meaning and Measurement." She was treasurer of the Radcliffe Graduate Club.

Career

Beckwith was a widow in her mid-twenties when she taught mathematics at the Emma Willard School in New York from 1905 to 1907. She taught mathematics at Western Reserve University from 1913 to 1920, and at Vassar College from 1921 to 1925. She was professor of mathematics and astronomy and head of the mathematics department at Milwaukee-Downer College in Wisconsin from 1925 to 1947. She was an active member of the

Mathematical Association of America The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary edu ...

. She traveled to

Trujillo, Peru Trujillo (; ; Mochica language, Mochica: ''Cɥimor'') is a city in coastal northwestern Peru and the capital of the Department of La Libertad. It is the third most populous city and center of the List of metropolitan areas of Peru, third most po ...

in 1936 to witness a

total solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs approximately every six months, during the eclipse season i ...

, and wrote about the trip and the event for the ''Oberlin Alumnae Magazine'', quipping that "no subject under the sun is more worthy of study than the sun itself".

Personal life

In 1900, Ethelwynn Rice married William Erastus Beckwith. They lived in Paia, Maui, where he died in 1904. She died from injuries sustained in a car accident in 1955, aged 77 years, in

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc ( ) is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626. History Purporte ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beckwith, Ethelwynn Rice 1879 births 1955 deaths 20th-century American economists People from Hartford, Connecticut Punahou School alumni Case Western Reserve University alumni Case Western Reserve University faculty Vassar College faculty Vassar College alumni Oberlin College alumni Milwaukee-Downer College faculty Radcliffe College alumni Emma Willard School Economists from New York (state) 20th-century American educators 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American women academics American women economists