Lyon, Mary (1797–1849)

Mary Lyon was born in Buckland, Massachusetts. At the age of 4, she began walking a great distance to attend the nearest school. Her love of learning was the driving force in her early life, and, later, this passion would lead to her efforts to transform the course of women's education in America as the founder of the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary (since 1887, Mount Holyoke College).

Lyon's reputation as an outstanding student helped her to obtain her first teaching job in a one-room schoolhouse at the age of 17. As a teacher, she was paid 75 cents a week, along with meals and a place to live. Teaching inspired her to further [Page 534]her own education, a goal not generally accomplished by a woman of limited wealth in the 1800s. Supporting herself at a young age by teaching, she took college courses at Sanderson Academy, Amherst Academy, and Byfield Female Seminary in Massachusetts. She would travel hundreds of miles by stagecoach over dirt roads to attend these higher education schools when she was not teaching in the one-room schoolhouse. Thus, despite the lack of money, a busy teaching schedule, and the colleges being great distances away, Lyon was determined to continue her learning. In this pursuit of an education, she stated that she “gained knowledge by the handfuls.”

After several years as a teacher, Lyon became an assistant principal at Ipswich Female Seminary. Seminaries like Ipswich were higher education institutions for young women, but they did not provide the same courses as the men's institutions. For example, these female seminaries taught subjects such as needlework, music, and drawing, instead of the math and science courses found at the men's colleges. From Lyon's perspective, these seminaries were like finishing schools, and she felt women deserved the same opportunity to learn math and science as did men.

Mary Lyon believed that women's education was extremely important. Inspired by her own struggles to attain a college education, she endeavored to create academic opportunities for women and to open doors for them to become teachers, missionaries, and productive citizens throughout the nation and world. Her ultimate goal was to establish a higher education institution for women. This goal led her in 1834 to undertake the raising of funds for a school. For the next 3 years she crusaded tirelessly in her fund-raising efforts even though the United States was in an economic depression. She persisted with her efforts, writing papers and advertising about the plan for a women's college that offered higher education programs. Throughout this time, Lyon faced ridicule from those who felt her ambitious undertaking was “wasted” on women. Her enthusiasm, drive, and endless spirit eventually helped her to secure the financial support for her dream.

In 1837, Lyon returned to Massachusetts and founded Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley. The institution was an immediate success, with many more students desiring to attend than the school could accommodate. She served as the first president (referred to as “principal”) of Mount Holyoke, and continued in that capacity for the next 12 years.

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