Phebe W. Sudlow (July 11, 1831 - June 8, 1922) was a pioneer for women in the education field and was the first female superintendent of a public school system in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Sudlow also became the first female professor at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

in 1878, despite having no formal college degree.

Biography

Phebe W. Sudlow was born on July 11, 1831 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 ...

. When Sudlow was four, she, her parents Richard and Hannah, and her five siblings moved to

Nelsonville, Ohio Nelsonville is a city in northwest York Township in Athens County, Ohio. It is 60 miles southeast of Columbus. The population was 4,612 at the 2020 census originally, but an official citywide recount found the population to be 5,373, thus main ...

. Sudlow soon began teaching, at the age of fifteen, at the same school where she was taught. After the death of her father in 1855, Sudlow moved to Rockford, Illinois to live with her brother and a year later moved to rural

Scott County, Iowa Scott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 174,669, making it the third-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Davenport. Scott County is included in the Davenport– Moline ...

. Sudlow started teaching at a local school, and soon was moved by Superintendent Abram S. Kissell to Davenport sub-district 5 as an assistant of the district. She soon became the assistant principal of two schools in Davenport and a year later, in 1860, she was the principal of both schools. Sudlow was paid a wage less than that of male principals. She argued with the school board about the pay disparate, and was soon paid an equal wage. On June 19, 1874, Sudlow became the first woman in United States history to be appointed superintendent of public schools when she was unanimously chosen by the Davenport school board. She originally was offered a lower salary than that of a male superintendent, but was paid an equal wage after she told the school board, "Gentlemen, if you are cutting the salary because of my experience, I have nothing to say; but if you are doing this because I am a woman, I’ll have nothing more to do with it." Sudlow served as superintendent for four years. Among her achievements was the construction of a new high school. In 1876, Sudlow became the first female president of the Iowa State Teachers Association. She obtained another first by becoming the first female professor at the

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the tim ...

, despite having only an honorary master's degree from

Grinnell College Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College. Grinnell has the fifth highest endowment-to-stu ...

. She taught at the university for three years when she resigned due to poor health. She went back to Davenport to become a principal for one year before retiring from education. On June 8, 1922, Sudlow died in her home in Davenport. She is buried in Oakdale Cemetery in Davenport. Sudlow was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 1993.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sudlow, Phebe 1831 births 1922 deaths People from Poughkeepsie, New York Education in the Quad Cities People from Davenport, Iowa People from Nelsonville, Ohio Educators from New York (state) American women educators Educators from Ohio