Julia Swift Orvis (November 22, 1872 – March 16, 1949) was an American college professor, pacifist, and author of ''A Brief History of Poland'' (1916). She taught history and political science at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

for 42 years, before she retired in 1941.

Early life and education

Orvis was born in

Dixon, Illinois Dixon is a city and the county seat of Lee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,733 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,941 in 2000. The city is named after founder John Dixon, who operated a rope ferry service across the R ...

, the daughter of Franklin Keese Orvis and Susanna Appleton Swift Orvis. Her father was a Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, serving as a white first lieutenant of the

26th United States Colored Infantry Regiment The 26th United States Colored Infantry, also called the 26th New York Infantry (Colored) was an African American infantry regiment, one of three colored troop units from the state of New York, 1 that fought in the American Civil War. The unit was ...

. He manufactured plows and ran a hotel in Illinois after the war; he also wrote a letter of support to suffragist Amy Kirby Post in 1872. Orvis earned a bachelor's degree from Vassar College in 1895, where

Lucy Maynard Salmon Lucy Maynard Salmon (July 27, 1853 – February 14, 1927) was an American historian. She was a professor of history at Vassar College from 1889 until her death. She was the first woman to be a member of the executive committee of the American His ...

was her mentor. She pursued graduate studies at Cornell University and the Sorbonne, with a fellowship from the Women's Education Association of Boston. She completed doctoral work at Cornell University in 1907, with a dissertation titled "The Committees of the Constituent Assembly: A Study in the Origins of Committee Government in France".

Career

Orvis taught European history and political science at Wellesley College for 42 years, from 1899; she became an associate professor in 1907, and retired in 1941 as professor emeritus. Orvis and fellow faculty member Phillips Bradley co-founded the campus book store, Hathaway House Bookshop, in 1925. She also ran a faculty club, and gave lectures to alumnae and community groups. Orvis was known for political and humanitarian activities beyond campus. She wrote ''A Brief History of Poland'' (1916,). From 1920 to 1925, she was executive secretary of the Society to Eliminate Economic Causes of War. From 1937 she represented her precinct in Wellesley town meetings. After retirement, she raised money for the Persian Relief Fund.

Personal life and legacy

Orvis died at a hospital in Boston in 1949. She was 76 years old. Hathaway House Bookshop continued as the campus book store until 1979.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Orvis, Julia Swift 1872 births 1949 deaths Vassar College alumni Cornell University alumni Wellesley College faculty People from Dixon, Illinois American pacifists Historians from Illinois