Martha Emily Foote Crow (May 28, 1854 – January 1, 1924) was an American educator and writer. Born in

Sackets Harbor, New York Sackets Harbor (earlier spelled Sackett (surname), Sacketts Harbor) is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States, on Lake Ontario. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. The village was named after land developer and owner Augus ...

,KM
"Martha Foote Crow Papers: an inventory of her papers at Syracuse University"
Syracuse University, May 1990. she played an important role in the development of higher education for women in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

.Rossiter, Margaret W. "Doctorates for American Women, 1868-1907". ''History of Education Quarterly'' 22, no. 2 (Summer): 159–183.

Biography

Martha Foote Crow was born in

, to Reverend John B. and Mary Pendexter (Stilphen) Foote on May 28, 1854. In 1872, while studying at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

, she was one of the founding members of the sorority

Alpha Phi Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity (, also known as APhi) is an international Fraternities and sororities in North America, sorority with 175 active chapters and over 270,000 initiated members. Founded at Syracuse University in Syracuse, ...

."Founders." Alpha Phi Fraternity, n.d
"About Us"
Alpha Phi. . She earned a Ph.B. in 1876 and Ph.M. in 1878, and finally her Ph.D. in English literature in 1886, all at Syracuse. In 1885, she married John M. Crow, an archaeologist. John Crow joined the faculty of Iowa College (now

Grinnell College Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...

) in 1884, and Martha Foote Crow became "Lady Principal" of the college (1884–1891) and preceptress (1884–1888) of the academy that operated under the college's auspices.Nollen, John Scholte
"Grinnell College"
Cedar Rapids, Iowa: The State Historical Society Of Iowa, 1953. While at Iowa College, she participated in the work of the

Association of Collegiate Alumnae The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,00 ...

,"Association of Collegiate Alumnae Records, 1882-1917?"
. coordinating an international survey of women's higher education.Крау, Марфа Фут. ( Joseph Gottwald, trans.) Letter, December 8, 1890. Рукопись 2897 ар. КФУ НБ им Лобачевского ОРРК.Crow, Martha Foote. "The status of foreign collegiate education of women. A partial abstract of the Report on Educational Progress presented by the Special Committee to the Association of Collegiate Alumnae on Oct. 24, 1891". Series II, no. 37; History of women, reel 945, no. 8751. .p. Association of Collegiate Alumnae, 1891. She also served as the Association's President from 1893 to 1895. Upon her husband's death from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

in 1891, Martha Foote Crow left Grinnell to become assistant professor of English literature 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 ...

. In 1900, she became Dean of Women at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

. While at Northwestern, she participated in the formation of an association of deans of women, organizing the 1903 Conference of Deans of Women of the Middle West."Minutes of the Conference of Deans of Women of the Middle West". Chicago, Evanston, November 3, 1903. NAWE Archives at the National Student Affairs Archives, Center for Archival Collections, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio.Gerda, Janice J
"The 1903 Conference of Deans of Women of the Middle West"
2004. On January 1, 1924, Martha Foote Crow died in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. In 1996,

published a biography of Martha Foote Crow.Kramer, Julia. ''The ever-widening life : the story of Martha Foote Crow''. Evanston Ill. Alpha Phi International Fraternity Foundation, 1996.

Publications

* ''Elizabethan Sonnet Cycles'' (1896) * ''The World Above'' (1905) * ''Elizabeth Barrett Browning'' (1907) * ''Harriet Beecher Stowe, a Biography'' (1913) * ''The American Country Girl'' (1915) * ''Lafayette'' (1916) * ''Christ in the Poetry of Today'' (1917)

Alpha Phi

Martha Foote Crow was one of the 10 founders of

fraternity.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crow, Martha Foote 1854 births 1924 deaths Alpha Phi founders Grinnell College faculty Northwestern University staff People from Sackets Harbor, New York Syracuse University alumni University of Chicago faculty