Martha Hillard MacLeish ( Hillard; August 17, 1856 – December 19, 1947) was an American educator and community leader.

Biography

Hillard was born in Hadlyme, Connecticut, daughter of Rev. Elias Brewster Hillard (

Preston, Connecticut Preston is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut planning region. Its population was 4,788 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Long Society, Preston City, and ...

, September 6, 1825 -

Farmington, Connecticut Farmington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. The populati ...

, March 1, 1895, bur.

Plymouth, Connecticut Plymouth is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, located within the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England. The population was 11,671 at the 2020 census, down from 12,243 at the 2010 cen ...

)James, p. 473 and wife Julia Whittlesey (January 24, 1835 - 1899).Lisle, pp. 1-5 She graduated from

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 ...

, where she became an

assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

. Between 1884 and 1888 she served as the

principal Principal may refer to: Title or rank * Principal (academia), the chief executive of a university ** Principal (education), the head of a school * Principal (civil service) or principal officer, the senior management level in the UK Civil Ser ...

of Rockford SeminaryAddams, p. 32Obituary: "Martha Hillard MacLeish"
''New York Times.'' December 20, 1947. and was influenced by the writings of Milicent Washburn Shinn.James, p. 473 She formed the West Side branch of the Visiting Nurse Association in

Chicago 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 ...

and was an early contributor to the school that later became 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 ...

. She also served as a

board member A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...

vice-president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

, and

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the Women's American Baptist Foreign Mission Society of the West and, after its merger with another group, as vice-president for its home administration. She married on August 2, 1888, as his third wife

Andrew MacLeish Andrew MacLeish (June 26, 1838 – January 14, 1928) was a Scottish and American businessman. Life and career MacLeish was born in Glasgow, Scotland, to Agnes (Lindsay of Clan Lindsay, born 1812) and Archibald MacLeish of Clan Macpherson (born 180 ...

and had two daughters and three sons, including Norman Hillard MacLeish (1890–1975), married to Lenore Adale McCall (1899–1981). Their son, Archibald became

Librarian of Congress The librarian of Congress is the head of the Library of Congress, appointed by the president of the United States with the advice and consent of the United States Senate, for a term of ten years. The librarian of Congress also appoints and overs ...

. Another son,

Kenneth Kenneth is a given name of Gaelic origin. The name is an Anglicised form of two entirely different Gaelic personal names: ''Cainnech'' and '' Cináed''. The modern Gaelic form of ''Cainnech'' is ''Coinneach''; the name was derived from a byna ...

, was an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

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 ...

. A

naval aviator Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. It often involves '' navalised aircraft'', specifically designed for naval use. Seaborne aviation encompas ...

, he received the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

posthumously for his combat actions. She died in

Notes

Sources

* Addams, Jane. ''My friend, Julia Lathrop''. Campaign-Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2004. * James, Edward T. ''Notable American Women, 1607–1950 : A Biographical Dictionary''. Cambridge. Publisher: Harvard University Press, 1971 * Lisle, Laurie. ''Westover: Giving Girls a Place of Their Own''. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hillard, Martha 1856 births 1947 deaths Vassar College alumni Presidents of Rockford College