Susan Miller Dorsey (February 16, 1857 – February 5, 1946) was an American educator who served as the superintendent of the Los Angeles City Schools from 1920 to 1929.

Early life and education

Susan Almira Miller was born in

Penn Yan, New York Penn Yan is an incorporated Village (New York), village and the county seat of Yates County, New York, Yates County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 5,159 at the 2010 census. It lies at the north end of the east bran ...

, the daughter of James Miller and Hannah Benedict Miller. 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 ...

in 1877, and was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

there.

Career

Dorsey taught at Wilson College and at Vassar before marrying and moving to California with her husband in the 1880s. She taught classics at

Los Angeles High School Los Angeles High School is the oldest public high school in the Southern California region and in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its colors are royal blue and white and the teams are called the Romans. Los Angeles High School is a publ ...

, beginning in 1896. By 1902, she was working as a school administrator. She was named an assistant superintendent in 1913, and in 1920, Dorsey became the first female superintendent of Los Angeles City Schools. She would serve in that capacity until her retirement in 1929. Dorsey was a member of the board of trustees at

Scripps College Scripps College is a private liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California. It was founded as a member of the Claremont Colleges in 1926, a year after the consortium's formation. Journalist and philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps pr ...

. In 1937 she spoke to the prohibitionist Women's Law Observance Association and denounced realist literature that dealt with or included "the seamy things of life". In 1937,

Susan Miller Dorsey High School Susan Miller Dorsey High School, commonly referred to as Dorsey High School, is a Secondary school, secondary State school#United States, public school located in the Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles, Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles, California. It is ...

in the Crenshaw district of

Los Angeles 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, ...

was dedicated in her honor. It was an adult high school in the 1950s.

Personal life and legacy

Susan Miller married the Rev. Patrick William Dorsey, and moved to California with him when he became minister of a Baptist church in Los Angeles. They had a son, Paul Dorsey. Her husband took their son and left her, and Los Angeles, in 1895; both professional and personal misconduct were rumored to be involved, and the Dorseys were eventually divorced. She died in 1946, at the age of 88, in Los Angeles. Dorsey Hall, a dormitory at Scripps College, is named for her. A 1928 oil portrait of Dorsey by John Hubbard Rich, which was de-accessioned by the

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 1961 ...

in the 1980s, was recovered in 2007 by Dorsey High School alumna and former teacher Janet Horwitz Colman.

Notes and references

External links

Soroptimist International of Los Angeles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorsey, Susan Miller 1857 births 1946 deaths Los Angeles Unified School District superintendents People from Penn Yan, New York Vassar College alumni Baptists from New York (state) Educators from New York (state) 20th-century American women educators