Mary Frances Leach (March 22, 1858 – 1939) was an American chemist and professor of chemistry and hygiene.

Early life and education

Leach was born in

Payson, Illinois Payson is a village in Adams County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,025 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Quincy, IL– MO Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Payson was laid out in the Spring of 1835. During the 1 ...

, the daughter of the Reverend Cephas A., and Mary Ann Scarborough Leach. She studied 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. ...

after a stint as an elementary school teacher in Massachusetts and received her associate degree in 1880. She then moved to Michigan and taught high school in various districts until 1891. In 1893, she received her bachelor's degree from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

Career

After graduating, Leach became a chemistry professor at her alma mater, Mount Holyoke, but returned to Michigan in 1901 to become a fellow and pursue her Ph.D., which she earned in 1903. While a professor at Mount Holyoke, she studied at the

University of Zurich The University of Zürich (UZH, german: Universität Zürich) is a public research university located in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 f ...

and the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

. From 1906 to her retirement in 1921, she was a professor of hygiene and chemistry at the Western College of Women.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leach, Mary Frances American women chemists Schoolteachers from Massachusetts Mount Holyoke College alumni Mount Holyoke College faculty University of Michigan alumni University of Zurich alumni University of Göttingen alumni 20th-century American chemists 1858 births 1939 deaths People from Adams County, Illinois American women academics 20th-century American women scientists Chemists from Massachusetts Chemists from Illinois