Sarah McGehee Isom (1854 – April 29, 1905) was an American

orator An orator, or oratist, is a public speaker, especially one who is eloquent or skilled. Etymology Recorded in English c. 1374, with a meaning of "one who pleads or argues for a cause", from Anglo-French ''oratour'', Old French ''orateur'' (14 ...

, and the first female faculty member at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

, where she taught oratory for twenty years. (Her middle named is sometimes found as "McGhee" or "McGee" in sources.)

Early life

Sarah Isom was born in

Oxford, Mississippi Oxford is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, 14th most populous city in Mississippi, United States, and the county seat of Lafayette County, Mississippi, Lafayette County, southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis. A college town, Oxford ...

, daughter of Thomas Dudley Isom and Sarah Royster McGehee Isom. Her father was a medical doctor; the family's home at

Isom Place Isom Place is located at 1003 Jefferson Avenue in Oxford, Mississippi and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The home was constructed by Thomas Dudley Isom, a physician in Lafayette County. The exact dates of construction are l ...

in Oxford is listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Isom attended Augusta Seminary in Virginia, and pursued further studies at the

National School of Elocution and Oratory National School of Elocution and Oratory (later, Shoemaker School of Speech and Drama) was an American school for speech arts, focused on rhetoric and elocution. It was established by Jacob and Rachel H. Shoemaker in Philadelphia, 1873. Attentio ...

, Philadelphia, and in Boston.David G. Sansing
''The University of Mississippi: A Sesquicentennial History''
(University Press of Mississippi 1999): 138-139.

Career

Isom was hired to teach oratory at the University of Mississippi in 1885. She was the first woman hired to the faculty there, and the first woman on the faculty of any co-educational college in the southeastern United States.Michael Newsom
"Did You Know? UM’s Sarah Isom Center Has An Interesting Namesake"
''Ole Miss: University of Mississippi News'' (May 14, 2014). She designed the curriculum for oratory at Mississippi. She directed a

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

festival at the university in 1897. She also performed as a dramatic reader. In her lifetime, a fellow Southern academic noted, "No one has contributed more to the growth of elocution in the South than Miss Isom." Isom also owned property in

Victor Heights Victor Heights, sometimes referred to as the Forgotten Edge, is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles. History The neighborhood was named after Victor Beaudry, a water mogul. He was the younger brother of Prudent Beaudry who was the 13th M ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, which was subject to a legal dispute over oil rights. Isom won a $120,000 settlement in 1901 for the damages done by Rex Crude Oil Company. However, the award was appealed and still in the courts when Isom died in 1905.

Personal life and legacy

Sarah McGehee Isom died in 1905, aged 51 years. A dormitory at University of Mississippi was named for Isom in 1929. In 1981, the University of Mississippi established the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies, named in her memory.University of Mississippi
Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies
About Us, History/Mission.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Isom, Sarah McGehee 1854 births 1905 deaths People from Oxford, Mississippi University of Mississippi faculty