Maria Louise Sanford (December 19, 1836 – April 21, 1920) was an American educator. She was a professor of history at
Swarthmore College from 1871 to 1880 and a professor of rhetoric and elocution at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...
from 1880 to 1909.
Early life and education
Maria Sanford was born in
Saybrook,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
. Her love for education began early; at the age of 16 she was already teaching in county
day school
A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compa ...
s. She graduated with honors from State Normal School (now
Central Connecticut State University
Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut ...
), using her
dowry
A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...
funds for tuition.
Career
Sanford rose in the ranks of local and national educators, becoming principal and superintendent of schools in
Chester County Chester County may refer to:
* Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
* Chester County, South Carolina, United States
* Chester County, Tennessee
Chester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, th ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. She took the place of Anna Hallowell and served as professor of history at Swarthmore College from 1871 to 1880. She was one of the first women named to a college professorship. Dr. William Watts Folwell, President of the University of Minnesota at the time, invited Sanford to join the faculty. She did so enthusiastically. Dr. Folwell declared that hiring Sanford was one of his proudest achievements.
During her tenure at the university (1880–1909) Sanford was a professor of rhetoric and elocution, and she lectured on literature and art history. Sanford made strong connections with her students and challenged them with surprise tests and poetry recitations. She held student social events in her Como neighborhood home and gave speeches to organizations and groups across the nation. She was a champion of women's rights, supported the education of blacks, pioneered the concept of adult education, and became a founder of parent-teacher organizations. Notably, however, she resisted universal suffrage until her late seventies.
Sanford was also a leader in the conservation and beautification program of her new state, including work with clubwoman
Florence Elfelt Bramhall towards creating a forest preserve which became part of the
Chippewa National Forest
Chippewa National Forest is a National Forest located in north central Minnesota, United States, in the counties of Itasca, Cass and Beltrami. Forest headquarters are located in Cass Lake, Minnesota. There are local ranger district offices i ...
. U.S. Forest Service chief Gifford Pinchot later stated that "without the farsighted and patriotic support of the Minnesota Federation of Women's
Clubs, it would have been impossible" to provide this wilderness conservation in Minnesota. Sanford retired from her University of Minnesota professorship in 1909. However, that did not stop Sanford from reaching out to the community and nation with the power of her speeches and public service. She traveled throughout the United States delivering more than 1000 patriotic speeches, the most famous being the powerful address ''An Apostrophe to the Flag'', that she delivered at a national
Daughters of the American Revolution convention. Sanford became head director for Northwestern Hospital, and created and served as president of the Minneapolis Improvement League. She served as the Minnesota governor's representative to a national conference on child labor. Sanford publicized and urged public health improvement against trachoma infection blindness among children on Montana Native American reservations. Her address to a 1916 Minneapolis convocation honoring her was headlined as "Trumpet of Social Reform is Sounded by Maria Sanford." She was also picked in 1920 to give a speech at the state celebration of the passing of the 19th amendment.
![Van_Lear_Sanford_1917_speeches_poster](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Van_Lear_Sanford_1917_speeches_poster.jpg)
In 1910, the University of Minnesota constructed Sanford Hall in honor of Sanford. In 1964 they expanded the building by adding on a "Tower" to house more students. It was originally built to house the women of the campus. In the 1970s, the hall became coeducational, and housed 502 residents.
Death and legacy
![Statue of Maria L](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Statue_of_Maria_L._Sanford.jpg)
Sanford died on April 21, 1920 in Washington, D.C. and is interred at
Mount Vernon Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. at the age of 83. In the following months, memorial gatherings were held in her honor at her home church
Como Congregational and at her academic home the University of Minnesota. Her death was headlined in
Minneapolis Tribune and other newspapers. Sanford was called "the best loved woman of the North Star State."
Sanford was the namesake of a
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 opposing ...
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Ma ...
, the SS ''Maria Sanford'', launched in 1943. In 1958, the state of
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
donated a bronze statue of Sanford, created by
Evelyn Raymond, to the
U.S. Capitol
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill at ...
's
National Statuary Hall Collection
The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old ...
. A school in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, was named Maria Sanford Junior High (now called
Sanford Middle School) in memory of her. An elementary school in
Montevideo, Minnesota
Montevideo is a city in Chippewa County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,383 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chippewa County. The town's mayor is Erich Winter and the Council President is Nathan Schmidt.
The area ...
, too, was named Maria L. Sanford Elementary School. Additionally, an academic hall, Maria Sanford Hall, at
Central Connecticut State University
Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut ...
is named after her. In 1958, Minnesota picked Sanford to
represent the state in Statuary Hall.
"National Statuary Hall Collection"
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References
External links
at www.aoc.gov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanford, Maria L.
1836 births
1920 deaths
American school administrators
American social reformers
Burials at Mount Vernon Cemetery (Philadelphia)
Central Connecticut State University alumni
People from Old Saybrook, Connecticut
People from West Chester, Pennsylvania
Swarthmore College faculty
University of Minnesota faculty