Virginia Claypool Meredith
| Virginia Claypool Meredith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 5, 1848 |
| Died | December 10, 1936 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Known for | Indiana Federation of Women's Clubs |
Virginia Claypool Meredith (November 5, 1848 – December 10, 1936) was an American farmer, lecturer, clubwoman, and university trustee, named the "Queen of American Agriculture" by the state of Mississippi in 1890.[1]
Early life
Virginia Claypool grew up on a farm near Connersville, Indiana, the daughter of Austin Bingley Claypool and Hannah Ann Petty Claypool.[2] She attended Glendale Female College in Ohio, graduating in 1866.[3]
Career
From 1882, Meredith was responsible for her family farm near Cambridge City, Indiana, including herds of shorthorn cattle and Shropshire sheep. She was a novelty as a speaker at farm institutes, where women rarely spoke, much less on the topic of livestock management. In 1893, Virginia Claypool Meredith served on the Women's Board of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.[4] In 1896 she was responsible for building the home economics program at the University of Minnesota. She became the first woman on the Purdue University board of trustees in 1921.[5]
Meredith was also a founder of the Indiana Federation of Women's Clubs, twice president of the Indiana Union of Literary Clubs, and first president of the Indiana Home Economics Association when it was founded in 1913.[6] She was also president of the Cambridge City chapter of the Equal Franchise League.[7]
Personal life
Virginia Claypool married farmer and state legislator Henry Clay Meredith, the son of Solomon Meredith, in 1870. She was widowed at age 33, when Henry died from pneumonia at age 38, in 1882.[8] When a friend Hattie Beach Matthews died, she adopted Hattie's two children, daughter Mary L. Matthews, who was the first Dean of the School of Home Economics at Purdue, and a son Meredith Matthews.[9] Virginia Claypool Meredith died in 1936, aged 88 years.[10]
There is a dormitory at Purdue University named for Virginia Claypool Meredith, and her papers are in the archives at Purdue.[2] In 1938, the Virginia Claypool Meredith Memorial Forest was dedicated near Shoals, Indiana. A book-length biography of Meredith was published in 2008.[11] In 2014, a state historical marker about Virginia Claypool Meredith was installed on Main Street in Cambridge City.[12]
References
- ↑ Virginia Claypool Meredith, Local History, Morrison-Reeves Library website.
- 1 2 Virginia Claypool Meredith Papers, Purdue University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections
- ↑ "Farming Owes Debt to Woman" Courier-Journal (December 17, 1922): 62. via Newspapers.com
- ↑ "Mrs. Virginia Claypool Meredith" World's Columbian Exposition Illustrated 3(4)(June 1893): 95.
- ↑ Virginia Claypool Meredith, Women Making History at Purdue, Purdue University.
- ↑ H. S. K. Matthews, "Virginia C. Meredith" Indiana Magazine of History 35(1)(1939): 49-57.
- ↑ "Expert in Home Economics Who Gives Many Addresses" Indianapolis Star (February 9, 1913): 48. via Newspapers.com
- ↑ Angie Klink, Divided Paths, Common Ground: The Story of Mary Matthews and Leila Gaddis, Pioneering Purdue Women who Introduced Science into the Home (Purdue University Press 2011): 9. ISBN 9781557535917
- ↑ Donna Cronk, "Remembering the Queen of American Agriculture" Courier Times (February 1, 2015).
- ↑ "'Queen Agriculture' Dies" Lincoln Evening Journal (December 11, 1936): 9. via Newspapers.com
- ↑ Andrew G. Martin, Fredrick Whitford, and Phyllis Matheis, The Queen of American Agriculture: A Biography of Virginia Claypool Meredith (Purdue University Press 2008). ISBN 9781557535184
- ↑ Virginia Claypool Meredith historical marker, Indiana Historical Bureau.
External links
- Virginia Claypool Meredith's gravesite at Find a Grave.