born Feb. 28, 1797, near Buckland, Mass., U.S.
died March 5, 1849, South Hadley
U.S. pioneer in higher education for women.
She studied at various academies, supporting herself from age 17 by teaching. Her success as a teacher and administrator, and the demand for the young women she had trained, led to her plan for a permanent instructional institution for women. The school she founded in South Hadley, Mass., opened in 1837 as the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary (the forerunner of Mount Holyoke College ), and she served as its principal until her death.