Mary Wilhelmine Williams (May 14, 1878 – March 10, 1944) specialized in

Latin American history The term ''Latin America'' primarily refers to the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries in the New World. Before the arrival of Europeans in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the region was home to many indigenous peoples, a number of ...

. She was on the board of editors of the ''

Hispanic American Historical Review ''The Hispanic American Historical Review'' is a quarterly, peer-reviewed, scholarly journal of Latin American history, the official publication of the Conference on Latin American History, the professional organization of Latin American historia ...

'' from 1927 to 1933 and was secretary of the Conference on Latin American History in 1928 and 1934. Rhoda M. Dorsey, "Mary Wilhelmine Williams: Teacher, Historian, Pacifist, Feminist". In ''Notable American Women 1607–1950'' (Radcliff College, 1971) Williams is credited for starting the first collegiate course in

Canadian history The history of Canada covers the period from the arrival of the Paleo-Indians to North America thousands of years ago to the present day. Prior to European colonization, the lands encompassing present-day Canada were inhabited for millennia by ...

in the United States in 1916. She contributed to the ''

Dictionary of American Biography The ''Dictionary of American Biography'' was published in New York City by Charles Scribner's Sons under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). History The dictionary was first proposed to the Council in 1920 by hi ...

'' and wrote two books on

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

. Williams was an active feminist and pacifist. She was a member of the

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is a non-profit non-governmental organization working "to bring together women of different political views and philosophical and religious backgrounds determined to study and make kno ...

and was founder of the California chapter of the

National Woman's Party The National Woman's Party (NWP) was an American women's political organization formed in 1916 to fight for women's suffrage. After achieving this goal with the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the NW ...

in California. Also, she was the editor of ''Equal Rights'', an independent feminist weekly from 1935 to 1936.Lillian E. Fisher, "Mary Wilhelmine Williams 1878–1944: In Memoriam," ''The Hispanic American Historical Review'' 24:3 (1944): 365.

Biography

Williams was born on May 14, 1878, on a remote farm in Stanislaus County, California. Her mother, Caroline Madsen, was from

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

and her father, Charles Williams, was born in Sweden. Williams came from a large and impoverished family of four sisters and two brothers. At the age of eighteen Williams attended San Jose State Normal School in California and graduated in 1901. She was a teacher for three years before attending Stanford University, where she received her

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 1908. Williams went back to teaching from 1908 to 1911 while studying at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

during the summers. She took a trip to

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

, in 1911 to research her doctoral dissertation at the Public Record Office. Williams received her

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in 1914 and became an instructor in history at Stanford University. Her dissertation, Anglo-American Isthmian Diplomacy, 1815–1915, won the Justin Winsor Prize of the

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...

. From 1914 to 1915 Williams was an instructor in history at Wellesley College. Williams taught 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 ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

as a professor in 1920."Mary Wilhelmine Williams (Deceased)," Marquis Who's Who on the Web. Retrieved January 20, 2009, from http://home.surewest.net/bergerot/williams-marquis.html . From 1918 to 1919 Williams served the government of Honduras as a

cartographic Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

geographic Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

, and historical specialist in relation with its border disagreements with Guatemala and

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

. On behalf of the American Association of University Women, Williams traveled to fifteen Latin American countries to survey their higher education facilities for women in 1926. The

US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

appointed Williams to serve on a variety of committees dealing with Latin American problems. In 1940 she was presented with a decoration from the Dominican government in recognition of her work in promoting understanding between the two countries.Sueann Caulfield, "American National Biography: Mary Wilhelmine Williams," American Council of Learned Societies. Retrieved January 20, 2009, from http://home.surewest.net/bergerot/williams-anb.html . She remained a professor at Goucher College until 1940 when she retired to

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...

. Williams died suddenly from a stroke on March 10, 1944. Her grave is marked "Teacher, Historian, Pacifist, Feminist."

Legacy

As a teacher, Williams is remembered for her thorough standards of scholarship, her persistence for complete mastery of a subject matter, and her encouragement of students in undertaking independent research. Her book, ''The People and Politics of Latin America'', has for fourteen years been an important foundation for teachers and students in the field of Latin-American history.

Works

*1916: ''Cousin-hunting in Scandinavia'' *1916: ''Anglo-American Isthmian Diplomacy, 1815–1915'' *1920: ''Social Scandinavia in the Viking Age'' *1930: ''The People and Politics of Latin America'' *1937: ''Dom Pedro the Magnanimous, Second Emperor of Brazil''

References

External links

Guide to the Mary Wilhelmine Williams Papers, 1911-1943
held at Stanford University {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Mary Wilhelmine 1944 deaths 1878 births Historians of Latin America American feminists American pacifists Pacifist feminists Goucher College faculty and staff American women historians Women's International League for Peace and Freedom people People from Stanislaus County, California San Jose State University alumni Stanford University alumni University of Chicago alumni Activists from California American people of Swedish descent American people of Danish descent Historians from California

Biography

Legacy

Works

See also

References

External links