May Gorslin Preston Slosson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
May Gorslin Preston Slosson
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May Gorslin Preston
September 10, 1858 |
| Died | November 26, 1943 (aged 85) |
| Alma mater | Bachelor of Science (1878) and Master of Science (1879), from Hillsdale College; Ph.D. from Cornell University (1880) |
| Occupation | Educator and suffragist |
| Employer | Professor of Greek at Hastings College, Assistant Principal at Sabetha High School, Kansas, chaplain at Wyoming State Penitentiary |
| Known for | First woman to earn a Ph.D. from Cornell University, and the first woman to obtain a doctoral degree in Philosophy in the United States. |
| Spouse(s) | Edwin Emery Slosson |
| Children | Two sons |
| Parent(s) | Reverend Levi Campbell Preston, Mary Gorslin Preston |
May Gorslin Preston Slosson (born September 10, 1858, in Ilion, New York – died November 26, 1943, in Ann Arbor, Michigan) was an important American educator and a strong supporter of women's rights, known as a suffragist. She made history as the first woman in the United States to earn a doctoral degree in Philosophy.
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Early Life and Education
May Gorslin Preston was the daughter of Reverend Levi Campbell Preston and Mary Gorslin. Her family moved from New York State to Kansas. She was a very bright student.
May earned her first college degrees from Hillsdale College in Michigan. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1878. The very next year, in 1879, she earned her Master of Science degree.
Making History at Cornell
In 1880, May Preston achieved something truly remarkable. She became the first woman to earn a Ph.D. from Cornell University. This also made her the first woman in the entire United States to get a doctoral degree in Philosophy. Her important research paper for her Ph.D. was called Different Theories of Beauty.
Career and Family Life
After finishing her Ph.D., May Preston began her career as an educator. She became a professor of Greek at Hastings College in Nebraska. Later, she worked as the Assistant Principal at Sabetha High School in Kansas.
In 1891, she married Edwin Emery Slosson in Centralia, Kansas. The couple moved to Laramie, Wyoming in 1892. Her husband became a chemistry professor at the University of Wyoming.
Her Children
May and Edwin had two sons. Their first son, Preston William Slosson, was born in Laramie in 1892. He grew up to become a long-serving history professor at the University of Michigan. Sadly, their younger son, Alfred Raymond, passed away from scarlet fever when he was a child. Preston's daughter, Flora May Slosson, also attended the University of Michigan later on.
Work as a Prison Chaplain
While living in Wyoming, May Preston Slosson showed her dedication to helping others. She started a series of Sunday afternoon talks for the prisoners at the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Laramie. Professors from the University of Wyoming gave these talks, and May herself was also a speaker.
In 1899, the prison needed a new chaplain. A chaplain is a religious leader who provides support. The prisoners themselves asked for May Preston Slosson to take on this role. She became the chaplain at the nearly all-male prison and served there until 1903. Her important work at the prison is remembered today. The Dr. May Preston Slosson Historical Lecture Series is held in her honor at the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site.
Advocating for Women's Rights
In 1903, May and her family moved to New York City. While living in Wyoming, May Preston Slosson had enjoyed rights that women in many other states did not have, like the right to vote.
After moving to New York, both May and her husband became very active in the women's suffrage movement. This movement worked to gain voting rights for women. May Preston Slosson was a strong voice for equal rights. In 1920, she published a book of poems called From a Quiet Garden, Lyrics in Prose and Verse.
