Helen Clarissa Morgan (February 25, 1845 – May 23, 1914) was an American educator from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. She was the first woman to be appointed professor of Latin in a US

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

college.

Early years and education

Helen Clarissa Morgan was born in Masonville, New York in 1845. The family moved to

Oberlin, Ohio Oberlin () is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is located about southwest of Cleveland within the Cleveland metropolitan area. The population was 8,555 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Oberlin is the home of Oberlin ...

when Morgan was 12 years old. She 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 1866, receiving the degree of bachelor of arts, and in 1911 that college conferred upon her the honorary degree of master of arts.

Career

Upon graduation she taught for three years in Michigan, and in 1869 was called to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

to teach Classical Studies in

Fisk University Fisk University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus i ...

, which was then located in the Federal Hospital Buildings.

W. E. B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relativel ...

was a student in her Latin classes. Although she received a call to teach 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 ...

, she chose to devote her life to work among

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

, and remained at Fisk University for 38 years. Morgan was an advocate for greater teacher training, publishing an article on the subject, in relation to her experiences at Fisk, in 1911. She was the first woman to be appointed professor of Latin in a US coeducational college. On account of her long and faithful service the Carnegie Foundation, on June 7, 1907, voted to Professor Morgan a retiring allowance. She died on May 23, 1914.

References

Attribution

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Helen Clarissa 1845 births 1914 deaths Oberlin College alumni Fisk University faculty Educators from New York (state) 19th-century American educators People from Delaware County, New York American women classical scholars 19th-century American women educators