Beecher, Catharine Esther (1800-1878), an American educational reformer, was an early supporter of education for women. She believed homemaking was the “true profession” for women, and that education should prepare them for it. Beecher organized the scientific study of home economics, now called family and consumer sciences.
Beecher was born on Sept. 6, 1800, in East Hampton, Long Island, New York. She was the eldest child of Lyman Beecher, a famous American clergyman. Catharine attended private school in Litchfield, Connecticut. In 1823, she established a female seminary in Hartford, Connecticut, where she pioneered in offering calisthenics for girls. In the early 1830’s, Beecher founded a similar school in Cincinnati, Ohio. During the 1840’s, she campaigned for more schools and teachers in the Midwest. To promote this need, she founded the American Woman’s Educational Association in 1852. Beecher died on May 12, 1878.
