Julia Ann Sears (1839–1929) was a pioneering academic and suffragist, achieving a milestone early in her career as she became the first woman to head a public college in the United States, in 1872. The school was Mankato Normal School, now Minnesota State University, Mankato, which named a residence hall after Sears in 2008. Sears was an active suffragist in Tennessee.
Overview
1. East Dennis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts: Birthplace The Sears family also includes Edmond Sears, who, in 1849, composed "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear". Most of the notable members of the Sears family had an educational or religious backgrounds. Julia was the second youngest of six siblings: Thankful Snow, Emily, Sarah R., Betsey Thomas, and Amanda. Her mother had another daughter, who died in 1832. Julia had no uncles or brothers. As children, Julia and her sisters underwent religious training by Methodist ministers, at month-long summer camps. In her later years, Sears recalled pretending to be a teacher when playing with friends.
Education
Julia Sears attended a common school in East Dennis, from age five to age fifteen. At this point in history, this kind of achievement was not well documented or communicated well. For the next 50–80 years, there are documents of other women believed to be the first female presidents of a U.S. public college.