Biography:

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries education was an idea that had started to take off, but was far from universally hailed as a necessary, or even positive, element to the development of young women.   There were, however, notable figures who advocated and actively pursued the belief in developing strong, worthwhile education for females during this time.  One such person, Martha Carey Thomas, devoted her life to broadening and perfecting higher education for young women; tirelessly working to change the minds of the general public to favor educating all of the citizenry.  Quite possibly, her most influential and famed accomplishment was her work with the development of Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, of which she was the second president.  Speaking about Thomas on the occasion of her retirement in 1922, Ada Comstock, a faculty member at the College, stated, "[Thomas is] the most colorful, the most vigorous, the most dynamic figure in American education today."1  Although her life's work was plauged by conflict and set-backs, Thomas remained unwavering in her conviction of the value of better schooling for women.