Margaret Shove Morriss (June 25, 1884 – January 22, 1975) was an American academic historian, She was the

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 ...

in charge of

Pembroke College in Brown University Pembroke College in Brown University was the coordinate women's college for Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1891 and merged into Brown in 1971. Founding and early history The founding of the Women's College Ad ...

from 1923 to 1950.

Early life and education

Margaret Shove Morriss was born in

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

, the daughter of William Hayles Morriss and Mary Elizabeth Hairland Morriss. She completed undergraduate studies at

Goucher College Goucher College ( ') is a private liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland. It was chartered in 1885 by a conference in Baltimore led by namesake John F. Goucher and local leaders of the Methodist Episcopal Church.https://archive.org/details/h ...

in 1904, and was granted a PhD from

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United St ...

in 1911, for her research on trade in colonial Maryland.Martha Mitchell
''Encyclopedia Brunoniana''
(1993).

Career

Morriss began her career at

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite historically women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. ...

, teaching American history. While there, she was active in the local chapter of the

College Equal Suffrage League The College Equal Suffrage League (CESL) was an American woman suffrage organization founded in 1900 by Maud Wood Park and Inez Haynes Irwin (''nee'' Gillmore), as a way to attract younger Americans to the women's rights movement. The League spurred ...

. In 1923, she was hired by Brown University to serve a professor of history and as Dean of Women, a post she held until she retired in 1950. She more than doubled the number of women enrolled at Brown during her tenure, and saw the 1927 creation of a Women's Building on campus. Her name was sometimes lampooned as "Peggy Push" (from "Margaret Shove"), to emphasize her assertive style of leadership. In 1951, Brown established a Margaret S. Morriss Scholarship in her honor. A dormitory built in 1960 was named for Morriss. From 1917 to 1920, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, she joined the

Young Women's Christian Association The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

efforts in France, Germany, and New York, as director of recreation for nurses. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, she was president of the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,000 ...

(AAUW) (1937-1941) and president of the

New England Association of Schools and Colleges The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC) is a United States' regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation. NEASC serves over 1500 public, independent schools, and technical/career institution ...

(1941). In 1965 the Connecticut chapter of the AAUW established an international fellowship in her name.

Personal life

Morriss was a member of the

Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

, the

National Consumers League The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is an American consumer organization. The National Consumers League is a private, nonprofit advocacy group representing consumers on marketplace and workplace issues. The NCL provides government, bu ...

, and the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. She was also vice president of the Association of Women Deans. Morriss died in 1975, aged 90 years."Dr. Morriss, Ex-Dean of Pembroke, 90, Dies"
''Bridgeport Post'' (January 23, 1975): 36. via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

References

1884 births 1975 deaths Brown University faculty Mount Holyoke College faculty Goucher College alumni Bryn Mawr College alumni American women in World War I College Equal Suffrage League {{authority control