Catharine Beecher
Catharine Esther Beecher (
September 6,
1800 -
May 12,
1878), the daughter of
Lyman Beecher, was a very active supporter for the cause of women's education. In 1824 she opened the Hartford Female Seminary, a private school for girls. She taught classes there and started to lobby for woman's rights. She left the school in 1831. She was engaged to be married to Professor Alexander Fisher of
Yale College in 1841, but he died before the wedding. Beecher published
A Treatise on Domestic Economy for the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School, which emphasized the importance of women's work and role in society. She founded the American Woman's Educational Association in 1852. In addition, Beecher was instrumental in the founding of women's colleges at
Burlington, Iowa,
Quincy, Illinois, and
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Works
- Letters to Persons Who Are Engaged in Domestic Service (1842)
- Treatise on Domestic Economy (1843) (often reprinted)
- The Evils Suffered by American Women and American Children: The Causes and the Remedy (1846)
- The True Remedy for the Wrongs of Women (1851)
- Letters to the People on Health and Happiness (1855)
External links