Alice Jacqueline Perry (24 October 1885 – 21 April 1969) was one of the first women in Europe to graduate with a degree in engineering.

Early life and education

Born in Wellpark,

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

in 1885, Alice was one of five daughters and a son of Martha Park and James Perry. Her father was the

county surveyor A county surveyor is a public official in the United Kingdom and the United States. United Kingdom Webb & Webb describe the increasing chaos that began to prevail within this same period in field of county surveying in England and Wales, with c ...

in Galway West and co-founded the Galway Electric Light Company. Her uncle, John Perry, was a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

and invented the navigational gyroscope. After graduating from the High School in Galway, she won a scholarship to study at

Queen's College Galway The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...

in 1902. Having excelled in mathematics, she changed from studying for a degree in arts to an engineering degree. She graduated with first class honours in civil engineering in 1906. Alice was one of the first women in Europe to graduate with a degree in engineering - following

Rita de Morais Sarmento Rita de Morais Sarmento (11 February 1872 – 28 March 1931) was a Portuguese civil engineer, the first woman to earn a degree in the subject in Portugal and probably the first woman to graduate as a chartered engineer in Europe. Early life Ri ...

(Civil Engineering and Public Works from the Academia Politécnica de Oporto (the Polytechnic Academy in Porto) in 1894) and

Agnes Klingberg Agnes or Agness may refer to: People *Agnes (name), the given name, and a list of people named Agnes or Agness *Wilfrid Marcel Agnès (1920–2008), Canadian diplomat Places *Agnes, Georgia, United States, a ghost town *Agnes, Missouri, United S ...

, Betzy Meyer, and

Julie Arenholt Julie Johanne Arenholt née Rosengreen (10 December 1873 – 21 July 1952) was a Danish civil engineer, women's rights activist and politician. In 1910, she became the first woman in Denmark to work as a factory engineer, inspecting the premises ...

, who graduated from 1897 to 1901, at the Polyteknisk Læreanstalt, today known as the

Danmarks Tekniske Universitet The Technical University of Denmark ( da, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet), often simply referred to as DTU, is a polytechnic university and school of engineering. It was founded in 1829 at the initiative of Hans Christian Ørsted as Denmark's fir ...

. The Perry family was academically gifted. Her sister Nettie studied modern languages and went on to become a lecturer in Spanish at London University. Sister Agnes Mary (known as Molly) earned BA (1903) and MA (1905) in mathematics from Queen's College Galway (later UCG then NUIG), taught there in 1903–1904, was a Royal University of Ireland examiner in mathematics in 1906, and later became assistant headmistress at a secondary school in London. She was described as "the most distinguished mathematician of her time in the college". Her sister Martha married the map scholar,

Edward William O'Flaherty Lynam Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

, and their son

Joss Lynam Joss Lynam (born as James Perry O’Flaherty Lynam; 29 June 1924 – 9 January 2011) was an Irish civil engineer who was well known as a mountaineer, hillwalker, orienteer, writer and sports administrator. He was one of Ireland's most influent ...

also became an engineer. All of the Perry sisters were involved in the suffrage campaign in Galway.

Career

Following her 1906 graduation Alice was offered a senior postgraduate scholarship but owing to her father's death the following month, she did not take up this position. In December 1906 she succeeded her father temporarily as

for Galway County Council. She remained in this position for five or six months until a permanent appointment was made. She was an unsuccessful candidate for the permanent position and for a similar opportunity to be a surveyor in Galway East. She remains the only woman to have been a

(county engineer) in Ireland. In 1908 she moved to London with her sisters, where she worked as a factory inspector for the Home Office. From there she moved to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, at which point she converted from

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Christian Science Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes informally know ...

in 1915. She met and married John (Bob) Shaw on 30 September 1916. Shaw was a soldier who died in 1917 on the Western Front.

Later life and death

Perry retired from her inspector's position in 1921 and became interested in poetry, first publishing in 1922. In 1923 she moved to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, the headquarters of Christian Science. Until her death in 1969, Perry worked within the Christian Science movement as a poetry editor and practitioner, publishing seven books of poetry.

Legacy

Her nephew, Joss Lynam, donated a collection of her poetry to

NUI Galway The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...

in 1996. An All-Ireland medal has been named in her honour, The Alice Perry Medal, with the first prizes awarded in 2014. On Monday 6 March 2017, NUI Galway held an official ceremony to mark the naming of the Alice Perry Engineering Building.

Publications

* ''The children of Nazareth : and other poems'' (c1930) * ''The morning meal and other poems'' (1939) * ''Mary in the garden and other poems'' (1944) * ''One thing I know and other poems'' (c. 1953) * ''Women of Canaan and other poems'' (1961)

References

External links

Great Women in Engineering History.Pioneering Women Engineers.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Alice Jacqueline British women engineers 1885 births 1969 deaths British Christian Scientists People from County Galway Irish poets Converts to Christian Science from Presbyterianism Irish women engineers 20th-century women engineers 20th-century Irish women writers 20th-century Irish writers 20th-century Irish engineers