Lelia Judson Tuttle (May 12, 1878 – November 8, 1967) was an American educator and missionary in China. She was chair of the English literature department at McTyeire Institute in Shanghai from 1910 to 1926, and

dean of women The dean of women at a college or university in the United States is the dean with responsibility for student affairs for female students. In early years, the position was also known by other names, including preceptress, lady principal, and adviser ...

at Soochow University from 1926 until 1941.

Early life and education

Tuttle was born in

Caldwell County, North Carolina Caldwell County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,652. Its county seat is Lenoir. Caldwell County is part of the Hickory–L ...

, the youngest of at least eleven children of Benedict Marcus Tuttle and Mary Anne Elizabeth Cochrane Tuttle. Her eldest brother, Herndon Tuttle, was a friend of

Charlie Soong Charles Jones Soong ( zh, c=宋嘉澍, p=Sòng Jiāshù, w=Sung Chia-shu; October 17, 1861 – May 3, 1918), also known by his courtesy name Soong Yao-ju ( zh, c=宋耀如, p=Sòng Yàorú, w=Sung Yao-ju), was a Chinese businessman who first achi ...

, giving her an early connection to Chinese Methodists. She graduated from the North Carolina State Normal and Industrial College in Greensboro (now

UNC-Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-al ...

) in 1900, and earned a master's degree from

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC), is the graduate school of education, health, and psychology of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, it has served as one of the official faculties and ...

in 1906. She trained for mission work at

Scarritt College for Christian Workers Scarritt College for Christian Workers was a college associated with the United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The campus is now home to Scarritt Bennett Center. History of Scarritt College (1892–1988) The Scarritt College for C ...

in Kansas City.

Career

Tuttle taught at Davenport College in North Carolina from 1902 to 1904. She went to China as a Methodist missionary in 1909. She was head of the English literature department at McTyeire Institute in Shanghai until 1926, when she became dean of women at Soochow University.Hobson, Fred
"Brer Rabbit in China: Leila Tuttle and the American Missionary Experience"
in ''The Silencing of Emily Mullen and Other Essays'' (LSU Press 2005): 29-58. She left China in 1941. Tuttle spoke about her experiences in China to community and church groups on her furlough visits to North Carolina, and in her later years. In 1956, she gave 168 acres of land in Caldwell County to the Tuttle Forest Foundation. The

Tuttle Educational State Forest Tuttle Educational State Forest (TESF) is a North Carolina State Forest near Lenoir, North Carolina. Nearby state parks The following state parks and state forests are within of Tuttle Educational State Forest: :Grandfather Mountain State Park ...

is named for her.

Personal life

Tuttle died in 1967, at the age of 89, in Caldwell County. Twenty boxes of her papers and artifacts from China are held by the special collections library at UNC-Greensboro. Her family has made additions to the collection in recent years. One of her nieces, Worth Tuttle Hedden, was a novelist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuttle, Lelia Judson 1878 births 1967 deaths People from Caldwell County, North Carolina University of North Carolina at Greensboro alumni Teachers College, Columbia University alumni American missionaries Methodist missionaries in Asia Deans of women