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COLLECTION Identifier: SC 4

Papers of Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz, 1884-1959

Overview

Correspondence, speeches, memorials, etc., of Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz, first president of Radcliffe College.

Dates

  • Creation: 1884-1959

Creator

Language of Materials

Materials in English.

Access Restrictions:

Access. Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright. Copyright in the papers created by Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz as well as copyright in other papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.

Copying. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.

Extent

.42 linear feet ((1 file box) plus 1 folio+ folder)

The papers contain correspondence, speeches by Elizabeth Cary Agassiz during her presidency, and memorials and biographical notices.

BIOGRAPHY

Elizabeth Cary Agassiz, educator, was born into an upper class Boston family. She married the Swiss naturalist Louis Agassiz in 1850. She reared his three children and traveled extensively with him. From 1855-1859, she ran the Agassiz school for girls, and in 1879, having been widowed in 1873, she became one of the seven Lady Managers of the Society for the Private Collegiate Instruction for Women (Harvard Annex).Elizabeth Cary Agassiz became the first President of the Society in 1882, and of Radcliffe College on its incorporation in 1894. Elizabeth Cary Agassiz resigned in 1900, and served as Honorary President until 1903. By her tact and her fund-raising abilities, she nurtured the college and insured its continuity.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Accession number: R78-41

This collection was removed from the Radcliffe College Archives vertical file in October 1978.

Related Material:

There is related material at the Schlesinger Library; see Records of Radcliffe College President Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz, 1879-1978 (SC 99); Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz Papers, 1838-1920 (A-3); Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz Papers, 1859-1879 (A/A262); Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz Letter, 1898 March 30 (A/A262a); Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz Letters, 1891, 1907 (A/A262b); Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz Letters, undated (A/A262c); Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz Letter, 1868 October 21 (A/A262d); Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz Postcards, 1905-1908 (A/A262e); Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz Letter, undated (A/A262f).

Processing Information

Processed: May 1995

By: Jane S. Knowles and Barbara N. Kravitz '52

Title
Agassiz, Elizabeth Cabot Cary, 1822-1907. Papers of Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz, 1884-1959: A Finding Aid
Author
Radcliffe College Archives, Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
Language of description
eng
EAD ID
sch00391

Repository Details

Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository

The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.

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