Helen Brewster Owens facts for kids

Helen Brewster Owens (April 2, 1881 – June 6, 1968) was an American suffragist and mathematician. A suffragist is someone who worked to get women the right to vote. Helen was a smart woman who used her skills to teach math and fight for important changes in society.

Early Life and Education

Helen Brewster Owens was born on April 2, 1881, in Pleasanton, Kansas. Her parents were Clara and Robert Edward Brewster. Helen's mother was a teacher and a leader in the women's suffrage movement. Because of her mother, Helen became interested in women's rights from a young age.

When she was a girl, Helen went to the 1893 County Fair with her mother. There, she helped hand out flyers for Frances Willard. Willard was a well-known leader who supported women's rights.

Helen studied mathematics at the University of Kansas. She earned her first degree in 1900. Just one year later, she received her master's degree from the same university. Her master's project was about complex math ideas. It built on the work of Ruth G. Wood, another important woman in mathematics.

Helen continued her studies at the University of Chicago. However, her family moved to Ithaca, New York, before she could finish her PhD. She finally earned her doctorate in mathematics in 1910. She was 29 years old when she completed her studies at Cornell University. Her advisor was Virgil Snyder.

A Career in Mathematics

After finishing her studies, Helen Brewster Owens taught math. From 1910 to 1912, she taught at the University Preparatory School in Ithaca, New York. In 1914, she became an assistant professor of mathematics at Wells College. This college is in Aurora, New York.

Later, she worked as a math instructor at Cornell University from 1917 to 1920. Helen's career sometimes paused when her husband's job required them to move. But she always found her way back to her passion for math.

She became an associate editor for the American Mathematical Monthly. This is an important magazine for mathematicians. In 1936, Helen started a big research project. She wanted to learn about the history of women in mathematics. From 1941 to 1949, she taught as an assistant professor at Penn State University.

Fighting for Women's Rights

Helen Brewster Owens continued her work for women's suffrage throughout her life. Her activism started with that first visit to the County Fair with her mother. In 1910, she was chosen to be on a special committee. This committee was part of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association.

In 1911, she went back to Kansas to keep fighting for the right to vote there. Soon after, Anna Howard Shaw asked Helen to return to Kansas. Shaw was the president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. She wanted Helen to be her personal helper.

Helen worked in Kansas during 1912. She saw the state approve the suffrage amendment. This meant women in Kansas could vote. It passed by 16,000 votes, which was the biggest win for suffrage in any state at that time. After this success, Helen went back to New York. She continued her fight for women's voting rights there.

Her Family Life

Helen Brewster Owens married her classmate, Frederick William Owens, in 1904. One year later, they moved to Chicago. There, Helen gave birth to their first daughter, also named Helen. Helen Brewster Owens passed away on June 6, 1968, in Martinsburg, West Virginia.