Helen Magill White’s family always valued education – it didn’t matter that she or her sisters were women, they would have the opportunity to be educated, just as any man was. Born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1853, Helen and her family moved to Boston in 1859. Her father, Edward Magill, became a teacher and submaster at the Boston Public Latin School, (the first public school in the nation) and Helen joined him as the school’s only female student.
Ten years later, Helen’s educational path followed her father once more, when Edward joined the faculty of Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Helen enrolled as an undergraduate student at just 15 years old and became one of five women who graduated in the college’s first ever class in 1873.
After completing her undergraduate degree, Helen enrolled in graduate school at Boston University, where she earned her Ph.D. in Greek from the Department of Classical Studies in 1877, following her dissertation on Greek drama. Helen was the first woman to earn this distinction in the United States – and it happened right here in Massachusetts!
Helen’s passion for education continued into her professional career when she was appointed as principal of a private school in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. After leaving this role, Helen took a leap of faith in 1883 when she helped launch the Howard Collegiate Institute in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The school conducted college-level courses and included a laboratory and gymnasium, courtesy of Edward.
Helen served as the Institute’s director until 1887. She went on to teach at Evelyn College, a women’s annex to Princeton University, but when that shut down, she turned to teaching high school students at Brooklyn High School. Helen suffered with illness and depression during this time, believing herself to be a failure as a teacher, despite achieving such major accomplishments in her own education.
Helen married Andrew D. White, the first President of Cornell University, in 1890 and they had three children. Helen joined Andrew on his diplomatic posts as an ambassador in St. Petersburg and Berlin. After this time, she turned away from education to pursue her passions for architecture, music and literature. She later retired to Kittery Point, Maine where she passed away in 1944 at the age of 90.
Despite Helen’s own personal and professional struggles, we are proud to see her achieve her biggest accomplishment at a university located in Massachusetts. She taught many women throughout her career, instilling in them that they could have the education they desired.
