Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st President ofRadcliffe College | |
| In office 1882–1903 | |
| Succeeded by | LeBaron Russell Briggs |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Elizabeth Cabot Cary (1822-12-05)December 5, 1822 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | June 27, 1907(1907-06-27) (aged 84) Arlington, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Parent(s) | Thomas Graves Cary Mary Ann Cushing Perkins |
| Relatives | Thomas Handasyd Perkins (grandfather) |
Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz (pseudonym,Actaea;née Cary; December 5, 1822 – June 27, 1907) was an American educator,naturalist, writer, and the co-founder and first president ofRadcliffe College. A researcher ofnatural history, she was an author and illustrator of natural history texts as well as a co-author of natural history texts with her husband,Louis Agassiz, and her stepsonAlexander Agassiz.[1]
Agassiz traveled to Brazil with her husband from 1865 to 1866, and on theHassler expedition from 1871 to 1872; of the second, she wrote an account for theAtlantic Monthly. She publishedA First Lesson in Natural History (Boston, 1859) and editedGeological Sketches (1866).[2]
Elizabeth Cabot Cary was born on December 5, 1822, into aBoston Brahmin family of New England ancestry. She was born at the house of her grandfather,Thomas Handasyd Perkins, on Pearl Street inBoston, Massachusetts. Her parents were Mary Ann Cushing Perkins Cary and Thomas Graves Cary[1] (who had graduated fromHarvard University in 1811).
The Cary and Perkins families were from England and came toMassachusetts during the seventeenth century. Elizabeth Cary was the second of five daughters and seven children and was referred to as "Lizzie" by her immediate family and close friends.[3] Because of her fragile health, she was tutored at home in Temple Place, Boston, which included the study of languages, drawing, music, and reading. She additionally received informal history lessons fromElizabeth Peabody.[3]
Agassiz traveled with her husband,Louis Agassiz, and their family toCharleston, South Carolina for his professorship in the medical school throughout the winters of 1851–1852 and 1852–1853. She visited Europe with him in 1859. She worked closely with her husband in his scientific research. Specifically, she accompanied him as the main writer and record keeper for the Thayer Expedition to Brazil, from April 1865 to August 1866, and theHassler Expedition through theStrait of Magellan, from December 1871 to August 1872.[3]
In 1856, in their home inCambridge, Agassiz founded a school for girls from Boston. Her husband supported her by giving courses as well as arranging for courses from other Harvard professors. After the closure of the school in 1863 she helped organize and manage theThayer Expedition[4] with her husband, who she accompanied toBrazil (1865–1866). This expedition, occurring from 1865 to 1866, took place at the end of theAmerican Civil War, its maiden voyage from New York to Rio de Janeiro beginning in the war's final week. In 1867, she began a correspondence withArnold Guyot, ageologist andmeteorologist. She also helped organize and manage the next expedition (theHassler Expedition in 1871–1872), which was the first important marine exploration by the United States government, and made transcripts. After her husband's death in 1873, she published several books on natural history for which she had conducted research for many years.[4]
Agassiz contributed to the founding of the coeducational Anderson School of Natural History. In 1869, she became one of the first women members of theAmerican Philosophical Society (withMary Fairfax Somerville andMaria Mitchell); she became a member on October 15.
In 1879, Agassiz was one of seven female managing directors of the Society for the Private Collegiate Instruction for Women (Harvard Annex). This provided qualified women who intended to pursue an advancement in their education in Cambridge with the opportunity to have private tutoring from professors at Harvard College.[1]
Agassiz was essential in ensuring that the "Harvard Annex" for women's education was transformed in 1894 from Harvard University intoRadcliffe College. From 1894 to 1900, this college was under their direction and from 1900 to 1903 she was honorary president. With her tact and her fundraising skills she promoted the college and contributed significantly to its continuity.[citation needed]
Agassiz became a member of the Ladies' Visiting Committee for the Kindergarten for the Blind, under thePerkins Institution for the Blind. She acted as treasurer for the Cambridge branch of the committee until an illness in 1904.[1]
Agassiz's research can be studied through her published books in addition to her series of diary entries depicting her global ventures. Her publications includeA First Lesson in Natural History (1859) andSeaside Studies in Natural History (1865), in which she was assisted by her stepson,Alexander Emanuel Agassiz. Elizabeth Agassiz originally publishedA First Lesson under the pseudonymActaea. Additionally, Elizabeth Agassiz co-authoredA Journey in Brazil (1868)[5] and edited and publishedLouis Agassiz: His Life and Correspondence in 1885. A biography of Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz was later written by her sister, Emma F. Cary, and Lucy Allen Paton, published in the spring of 1917 with the assistance of the Council of Radcliffe College.[1]
Following the marriage of her older sister Mary to Harvard ProfessorCornelius Conway Felton (later president of Harvard University), Agassiz began socializing with a group of intellectuals inCambridge, Massachusetts. In 1846, she met scientistLouis Agassiz at a dinner with Mary and her husband. Though they wanted to marry, he was married, with three children (Pauline, Ida andAlexander) inSwitzerland. His wife had died in 1848. In December 1849 — when it became more socially acceptable for the couple to wed — Lizzie's father gave his blessing in support of their marriage. They married on April 25, 1850, in Boston, Massachusetts atKing's Chapel. Agassiz organized the household and took care of the finances and the children. She developed strong relationships with her stepchildren, Alexander, Ida, and Pauline, and her grandchildren. She had no children of her own.[1]
After her husband's death in 1873,[6] Agassiz continued to devote time to her work and family. She continued to enjoy traveling, and in 1892, Agassiz ventured with family to thePacific Coast, specifically California, for three months.[1]
Agassiz died on June 27, 1907, inArlington, Massachusetts of acerebral hemorrhage.[7] She is buried inMount Auburn Cemetery with her husband.[1] The monument is a boulder selected from themoraine of theAar Glaciers, near where Agassiz once lived.[citation needed]
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). "Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz".A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life (Public domain ed.). Moulton.
