Minnie Cumnock Blodgett
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Minnie Cumnock Blodgett (1862–1931) graduated from
Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...
in 1884, later becoming a trustee (1917–1931). She is the mother of Katharine Blodgett Hadley (VC '20), who was also a Vassar trustee (1942–1954), and was chairman of the Board (1945–1952). Her husband, John W. Blodgett, built their estate, which they named Brookby, where they made their Grand Rapids home.


Vassar College and Euthenics program

After
Ellen Swallow Richards Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards (December 3, 1842 – March 30, 1911) was an American industrial and safety engineer, environmental chemist, and university faculty member in the United States during the 19th century. Her pioneering work i ...
' death in 1911,
Julia Lathrop Julia Clifford Lathrop (June 29, 1858 – April 15, 1932) was an American social reformer in the area of education, social policy, and children's welfare. As director of the United States Children's Bureau from 1912 to 1922, she was the first wo ...
(1858–1932), another of Vassar's most distinguished alumnae, continued to promote the development of an interdisciplinary program in
euthenics Euthenics () is the study of improvement of human functioning and well-being by improvement of living conditions. "Improvement" is conducted by altering external factors such as education and the controllable environments, including environmenta ...
at the college. Lathrop soon teamed with alumna Minnie Cumnock Blodgett, who with her husband, John Wood Blodgett, offered financial support to create a program of euthenics at
Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...
. Curriculum planning, suggested by Vassar President Henry Noble MacCracken in 1922, began in earnest by 1923. In 1925, through a gift of $550,000.00 from Mrs. Blodgett, the Institute of Euthenics was founded at Vassar. Its aim was "to supply scientific knowledge of the complex problems of adjustment between individuals and the environment, emphasizing home and family." Vassar historian Colton Johnson noted "The Blodgetts' gift was the largest gift given to the College after Matthew Vassar donated $408,000 in 1861 to get the College started ... Their intention was to bring into the curriculum of the College a course of study specifically designed around the ideas of Ellen Swallow Richards."


Death

Minnie Cumnock Blodgett died suddenly of heart disease on October 13, 1931 in her suite in
The St. Regis Hotel St. Regis Hotels & Resorts is a luxury hotel chain owned and managed by Marriott International. History In 1904, John Jacob Astor built the St. Regis New York as a sister property to his part-owned Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Exhibiting luxury and t ...
, New York, NY. She was there to attend meetings for two health organizations and spend some time visiting her daughter and son-in-law. According to her obituary in the ''New York Times'', she was a director of the Child Study Association, the National Organization for Public Health Nursing, and was a member of the National Committee on Mental Hygiene. She was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Alexander G. Cunnock icof Lowell, Mass. She was also president of the D.A. Blodgett Home for Children, and sat on the board of trustees at Vassar College.


Descendants

Descendants include: * John Wood Blodgett, Jr., who married Sally Reed Gallagher, of Milton, MA, on September 28, 1939. He attended St. Mark's School in Southboro, and graduated Harvard in 1923. * Kathrine Cumnock Blodgett Hadley, who married Major Morris Hadley, July 12, 1919. * John Wood Blodgett Hadley (1930 - 1994). who married Katrina Boyden Hadley (1930-1969), she is buried in the Blodgett Plot.


Blodgett Family Archives

According to the ''Finding aid for Blodgett Family papers, 1872-1953'' abstract at Bentley Historical Library within 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 ...
Digital Library, the archive contains :


Further reading

* * Jeffrey Sytsma, "Health Care Pioneers: The Blodgett Family." ''Michigan History'', Jan/Feb 2020, pp. 33-38. Lansing, Michigan: Historical Society of Michigan.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blodgett, Minnie Cumnock 1862 births 1931 deaths Vassar College alumni Members of the Vassar College Board of Trustees People from Lowell, Massachusetts People from East Grand Rapids, Michigan