Meyer, Annie Florance Nathan

Meyer, Annie Florance Nathan

▪ American writer, educator, and antisuffragist
née  Annie Florance Nathan 
born Feb. 19, 1867, New York, N.Y., U.S.
died Sept. 23, 1951, New York City

      American writer, educator, and antisuffragist, remembered as the moving force behind the founding of Barnard College, New York City.

      Annie Nathan grew up in an unsettled home and early found her greatest pleasure in books. In 1885 she enrolled in an extension reading course for women begun two years earlier by Columbia College (now University) as an alternative to regular admission to the college. She left after a year to marry Alfred Meyer in 1887. Immediately afterward she began working for the creation of a fully accredited women's college to be affiliated with Columbia. She published a widely read article on the idea in the Nation, secured the signatures of a number of prominent men on a petition, and solicited financial support. In an inspired move that broadened support for her idea, she proposed to name the college after Columbia's late president, Frederick A.P. Barnard, who had laid much groundwork for such an institution.

      Modeled on Harvard's “Annex” (later Radcliffe College) in quarters Meyer had leased in anticipation of success, Barnard College opened in September 1889. From its chartering to her death more than 60 years later, Meyer remained a trustee of the college and continued to recruit students and faculty and to raise funds for the school. She was a prolific contributor of articles and short stories to such magazines as The Bookman, World's Work, Century, Harper's, Smart Set, and North American Review. For several years she was a leading opponent in print of woman suffrage. Among her books are Woman's Work in America (1891), Helen Brent, M.D. (1892), My Park Book (1898), Robert Annys: Poor Priest (1901), and Barnard Beginnings (1935). She also wrote some 20 largely forgotten plays. Her autobiography, It's Been Fun, appeared in 1951.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Meyer,Annie Florance Nathan — Mey·er (mīʹər), Annie Florance Nathan. 1867 1951. American writer and a founder of Barnard College at Columbia University (1889). Her plays include The Dominant Sex (1911) and Black Souls (1932). * * * …   Universalium

  • Nathan, Maud — ▪ American social leader born Oct. 20, 1862, New York, N.Y., U.S. died Dec. 15, 1946, New York City       American social welfare leader who helped to found the National Consumers League.       Nathan was an elder sister of writer and… …   Universalium

  • Meyer — Verteilung des Namens Meyer in Deutschland (2005) Meyer ist ein deutscher Familienname. Herkunft und Bedeutung Meyer ist eine Form von Meier. Varianten, Bedeutung und Verbreitung siehe dort. Bekannte Namen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • NATHAN, MAUD — (1862–1946), U.S. activist, suffragist, and president of the Consumer s League. The second of four children born to Annie Florance and Robert Weeks Nathan, Nathan descended from a line of Sephardi Jews in America that included Gershom seixas ,… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • 1990 New Year Honours — Contents 1 United Kingdom 1.1 Life Peers 1.2 Privy Counsellors 1.3 Knights Bachelor 1.4 Order of the …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”