Lorinda Perry (December 23, 1884 – August 30, 1951) was an American economist, college professor, and lawyer, based most of her life in Illinois.

Early life

Perry was born December 21, 1884, in

Melvin, Illinois Melvin is a village in Ford County, Illinois, Ford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 416 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Melvin has a total area of , all land. Demographics As of th ...

, the daughter of Eugene Beauharnais Perry and Elizabeth Wilson Perry. Her father was a Union Army veteran of 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 ...

, and a medical doctor; her mother was born in Scotland. Perry trained as a teacher at Illinois State Normal University from 1900 to 1904, and graduated from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

in 1909. She earned her master's degree at Illinois in 1910, with a thesis titled "The history of the lake shipping trade of Chicago". In 1910, she held a fellowship in the Department of Research of the

Women's Educational and Industrial Union The Women's Educational and Industrial Union (1877–2006) in Boston, Massachusetts, was founded by physician Harriet Clisby for the advancement of women and to help women and children in the industrial city. By 1893, chapters of the WEIU were esta ...

, and from 1911 to 1913, she was a graduate student at

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...

. Her fellowship research focused on the

millinery Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter. Historically, milliners made and sold a range of accessories for clothing and hairstyles. ...

trade in Philadelphia and Boston; she earned her doctorate in 1913, under the supervision of Marion Parris Smith and

Susan Myra Kingsbury Susan Myra Kingsbury (October 18, 1870 – November 28, 1949) was an American professor of economics and a pioneer of social research. Kingsbury helped to establish the American Association of Schools of Social Work, and served as vice president of ...

. Her study was later published as ''Millinery as a Trade for Women'' (1916)''.''

Career

Lorinda Perry was head of the department of political and social sciences at

Rockford College Rockford or Rockfords may refer to: Places United States * Rockford, Alabama, a town * Rockford, Idaho, a census-designated place * Rockford, Illinois, a city, the largest municipality of this name * Rockford metropolitan area, Illinois, a Unite ...

from 1914 to 1916, and taught in the household science department at the University of Illinois from 1916 to 1919. She spoke on women's work 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 ...

, saying "Statistics prove that the war has caused one and a quarter million women to be added to the number previously in industry in England," but that their wages did not match those of the men who held the same jobs before the war. She also organized household science students to make and donate garments to the Red Cross for French war refugees. She helped to establish the Rockford College Club and the University Woman's Club at the University of Illinois. Beyond campus, Perry taught a course in "household accounting" to the members of the Home Improvement Association of

Champaign Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in the state outside the Chicago metr ...

, and at 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 ...

in Decatur. In 1919, Perry taught in Chicago. In 1920 she became a professor of economics at

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

in New York. Later in life, she attended law school at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

, earned a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree, and was a member of the

Illinois State Bar Association The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) is among the largest voluntary state bar associations in the United States. Approximately 28,000 lawyers are members of the ISBA. Unlike some state bar associations, in which membership is mandatory, ISB ...

. "Miss Perry was interested always in her community, and was courageous, intelligent, and honorable in her handling of the problems she met, never compromising with principle," recalled one obituary in 1951.

Personal life

In 1940, Perry was single and living in Chicago with her single siblings Benjamin, Josephine, Elizabeth, and Eugene. Benjamin and Eugene were medical doctors; Elizabeth was a lawyer, and Josephine served in the

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in ...

. Lorinda Perry died August 30, 1951, aged 66 years, in Chicago; her gravesite was in

Gibson City, Illinois Gibson City is a city in Ford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,475 at the 2020 census. History The site of Gibson City was purchased and platted by Jonathan B. Lott in 1869. In 1870, Lott built a home and a post office there ...

Publications

* ''The history of the lake shipping trade of Chicago'', 1910 * ''Millinery as a trade for women'', 1916 * ''The millinery trade in Boston and Philadelphia : a study of women in industry'', 1916

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Lorinda 1884 births 1951 deaths People from Ford County, Illinois University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni Bryn Mawr College alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty Rockford University faculty Hunter College faculty University of Chicago Law School alumni Illinois lawyers American women economists Writers from Illinois 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American economists