Thomas, Martha Carey (1857-1935), was an American educator and activist who fought for educational opportunities and voting rights for women. In 1885, Carey Thomas, as she preferred to be known, became dean and English professor at Bryn Mawr College, a women’s school in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Thomas served as president of the college from 1894 to 1922. She worked to make Bryn Mawr as good as the best men’s colleges. She set high entrance requirements, hired outstanding teachers, and established a demanding course of study.
Thomas was born on Jan. 2, 1857, in Baltimore and graduated from Cornell University in 1877. She went to Europe for further study because few United States graduate schools would admit women. In 1882, she earned a Ph.D. at the University of Zurich. In 1893, Thomas helped bring about the admission of women to the medical school at Johns Hopkins University. She was also president of the National College Equal Suffrage League from 1908 to 1917. Thomas died on Dec. 2, 1935.
