Marion Talbot
| Marion Talbot | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 31, 1858 Thun, Switzerland |
| Died | October 20, 1948 (aged 90) |
| Nationality | Swiss-American |
| Known for | Co-founder of American Association of University Women |
Marion Talbot (July 31, 1858 – October 20, 1948) was Dean of Women at the University of Chicago from 1895 to 1925, and an influential leader in the higher education of women in the United States during the early 20th century. In 1882, while still a student, she co-founded the American Association of University Women with her mentor Ellen Swallow Richards. During her long career at the University of Chicago, Talbot fought tenaciously and often successfully to improve support for women students and faculty, and against efforts to restrict equal access to educational opportunities.
Talbot was born in Thun, Switzerland, while her parents were on a long European trip, but grew up in Boston. She was the eldest of six children born to Emily Fairbanks Talbot and Israel Talbot, who was dean of the Boston University School of Medicine. Her mother was an activist and former teacher; the paucity of college preparatory opportunities for her daughters led her to work to establish the Boston Latin Academy, the first all-girls' college preparatory academy in the United States.
Talbot herself, however, was the eldest and did not benefit from that effort directly; she attended the Chapel Hill – Chauncy Hall School near Boston, and subsequently attended Boston University, where her other had to work aggressively to secure her admission. Talbot earned an AB there in 1880 and an AM in 1882. She additionally obtained an BS from MIT, where she studied under domestic science pioneer Ellen Swallow Richards, who had established her own laboratory there. Talbot initially dropped out due to poor conditions for women at MIT, but completed the degree in 1888.
In 1882, she and Richards co-founded the Association of Collegiate Alumnae, which in 1921 became the American Association of University Women. She was secretary of the association from its founding to 1895, and president from 1895 to 1897. Along with Dr. Lois Kimball Mathews Rosenberry, she co-authored the history of the Association, "A History of the American Association of University Women, 1881-1931".
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