Minnie Steckel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Minnie Steckel
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Steckel in 1928
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| Born |
Minnie Louise Steckel
March 19, 1890 |
| Died | December 1, 1952 (aged 62) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | educator, psychologist, women's rights activist |
| Years active | 1911–1952 |
Minnie Steckel (born March 19, 1890 – died December 1, 1952) was an amazing American woman. She was a teacher, a psychologist, and a leader in women's groups. Minnie also worked to help women get the right to vote without paying a special tax.
She started as a school teacher. Then, she became a school principal, a superintendent, and a school psychologist. She earned her bachelor's, master's, and PhD degrees. From 1932 until she passed away in 1952, she was a dean and counselor at Alabama College. She led important groups like the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the Business and Professional Women's Foundation.
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Early Life and Education
Minnie Louise Steckel was born on March 19, 1890. Her hometown was Woodbine, Kansas. Her parents, Caroline and William Steckel, came from Germany. Her father worked as a blacksmith.
In 1906, Minnie started studying at the Kansas Normal School. This school was in Emporia, Kansas. She began her first teaching job in Overbrook, Kansas in 1911. She taught there until 1913, when she finished her studies at the normal school.
Minnie Steckel's Career Journey
In 1914, Minnie Steckel taught in Burlingame, Kansas. She taught there until May 1915. That summer, she went to the University of Kansas in Lawrence. She earned her bachelor's degree in 1917.
After graduating, she taught at Leavenworth High School for one year. In 1918, she taught at the high school in Shenandoah, Iowa. In 1919, she became the superintendent of schools in Blanchard, Iowa. This meant she was in charge of all the schools there.
She moved to the high school in Atlantic, Iowa in 1921. She was the principal there until 1924. Minnie then went back to school at the University of Chicago. She earned her master's degree in psychology in 1926.
That same year, she got a job in Sioux City, Iowa. She helped manage the counseling department for public schools. While working, she also finished her PhD. She studied how birth order might relate to intelligence. She earned her PhD from the University of Chicago in 1929.
Working at Alabama College
In 1930, Minnie Steckel became a school counselor and dean of women at Alabama College. This was a state college for women. She wrote many books and articles about education and psychology.
She was also very active in many women's groups. These included the Alabama Federation of Women's Clubs and the American Association of University Women. She was also part of the American Psychological Association.
In 1936, the college faculty studied how a "poll tax" affected women. A poll tax was a fee people had to pay to vote. Minnie wrote the report. She found that women voted less often because of this tax. It wasn't because they weren't interested in politics.
Fighting for Women's Rights
Minnie Steckel believed that being part of women's clubs was very important. She wanted to help women achieve more. She also wanted her students to have more job opportunities.
She worked hard for women's right to vote. She also pushed for women to be able to serve on juries. Juries are groups of citizens who decide court cases.
Minnie also wanted jobs in the government to be given based on skills, not connections. This is called a merit-based system. She also fought against rules that stopped married women from working. And she worked to make sure women were paid the same as men for the same work.
From 1937 to 1939, she was president of the Montevallo chapter of the American Association of University Women. In 1940 and 1941, she was elected president of the Alabama chapter of the Business and Professional Women's Foundation. In 1951, she was the treasurer for the state chapter of the American Association of University Women.
Her Legacy
Minnie Steckel passed away at her home in Montevallo on December 1, 1952. The Alabama Federation of Women's Clubs created a scholarship for women in her honor. A scholarship helps students pay for college.
