Ada Louise Comstock (December 11, 1876 – December 12, 1973) was an American women's education pioneer. She served as the first dean of women at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

and later as the first full-time president of

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

Early life and education

Ada Louise Comstock was born on December 11, 1876, in

Moorhead, Minnesota Moorhead ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Minnesota, Clay County, Minnesota, United States, on the banks of the Red River of the North. Located in the Red River Valley, an extremely fertile and active agricultural region, Moo ...

, to Solomon Gilman Comstock, an attorney, and Sarah Ball Comstock. Her father recognized her capabilities and potential and set about to cultivate them by encouraging an early and sound education for his daughter. The oldest of three children, Comstock graduated from

Moorhead High School Moorhead High School is a public high school in Moorhead, Minnesota, United States. Established in 1883, the school serves approximately 2,000 students in grades 912. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 18.81. Extracurricular activities ...

at age 15. Comstock began her undergraduate studies at the

in 1892, where she was a member of

Delta Gamma Delta Gamma (), commonly known as DG, is a North American women's fraternity. It was established in 1873 at the Lewis School for Girls in Oxford, Mississippi. It has 151 collegiate chapters and more than 200 alumnae groups. The organization's exe ...

woman's fraternity. After two years, she transferred to

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

, graduating in 1897. As a Smith student, Ada often questioned the established rules and norms of college life. While a resident of Hubbard House, she was given a case of champagne which the housemother felt should be given away. Instead, in what was characteristically her spirit, she decided to store it in the water cooler to refresh her friends. She returned to Minnesota to complete a graduate course in teaching at Moorhead Normal School (now Minnesota State University, Moorhead), then went to

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

for graduate work in English, History, and Education, where she earned a master's degree in 1899.

Career

Comstock began her career at the University of Minnesota as an assistant in the rhetoric department under Maria L. Sanford. She was promoted to the position of instructor in 1900 and assistant professor in 1904. She was appointed the school's first dean of women in 1907 and a full professor in 1909. In this capacity, she was instrumental in improving the quality of life for the women of the college, arguing persistently that a college was responsible for one's physical and intellectual well-being. In 1912, Comstock came to Smith as the first ever Dean of the College and to teach English. Particularly challenging to her was the opportunity to advise and teach young women in an all-female institution. One of the most important tenets of her educational philosophy was the inculcation in young women of self-respect, one aspect of which was knowing how to employ oneself. Comstock believed very strongly throughout her life that a college education should inspire women to take a part in the shaping of the world. In 1917, when the Presidency of Smith College became vacant, she was given the responsibility of its operation for approximately six months, but was neither given the title of acting President nor was she considered for the position. Despite Comstock's significant and numerous contributions to the College, Smith was not ready for its first woman President. From 1921 to 1923, Ada Comstock served as president of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae, now known as the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances Justice, equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide Social net ...

(AAUW). She was a founding member and one of the five American voting delegates to the first conference of the International Federation of University Women in London in 1920 and at the second in Paris in 1922. One of their objects was the forwarding of higher education for women in every country in the world. She was active in other areas in public life as well. In 1929, she was the only woman named by President Herbert Hoover to an eleven-person commission to study problems of law enforcement. She was a president of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

, Vice Chairman of the American Council of Institute of Pacific Relations and served on the National Committee for Planned Parenthood. On October 20, 1923, Comstock was inaugurated as president of

. Her colleague at the AAUW, Frances Fenton Bernard, succeeded her as Dean of Smith College in the spring of 1924. Comstock spent twenty years leading the school, strengthening its academic programs and, in 1943, persuaded

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

to accept classroom coeducation. Also under President Comstock, Radcliffe was able to launch a nationwide admission program, improve student housing, construct new classroom buildings, and expand the graduate program. When Radcliffe celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1954, Comstock was called "the chief architect of the greatness of this college". In addition to her academic career, Comstock was appointed to the National Committee on Law Observation and Enforcement, known as the

Wickersham Commission The National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement (also known unofficially as the Wickersham Commission) was a committee established by the U.S. president, Herbert Hoover, on May 20, 1929. Former attorney general George W. Wickersham (185 ...

, in 1929. After her retirement from Radcliffe, Comstock remained active in academia, serving on the Smith board of trustees, working on a graduate center for Radcliffe, and traveling extensively in support of her husband's research.

Personal life

A week after her retirement from Radcliffe in 1943, Comstock married Yale professor emeritus Wallace Notestein. They had met in Minnesota decades before, but Comstock had focused on her academic career, as her father wished. Neither had married in the intervening years. Notestein died in 1969.

Death

Ada Louise Comstock Hall - Harvard University - DSC01418

Ada Comstock Notestein died of congestive heart failure at her home in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

, on December 12, 1973.

Legacy

The largest collection of her papers, the Ada Louise Comstock Papers, 1897–1950, are housed at the Smith College Archives. Comstock has been honored with named buildings on college and university campuses, including Comstock Hall at the University of Minnesota, Comstock Hall in the Radcliffe Quad, and Comstock House residence hall at Smith College. She is also the namesake of Smith College's Ada Comstock Scholars Program, a transfer program for students who are not of a traditional college age. Smith College hosts a lecture series named for her as well. Her childhood home is maintained as a historic site by the City of Moorhead and the

Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Educational institution, educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the Minnesota Terr ...

Awards and honors

*1943: Fellow of the

*1958: Jane Addams Medal, Rockford College *1966: Founder's Award, Radcliffe College *1967: Hollins Medal

References

External links

Ada Louise Comstock papers
at the Smith College Archives, Smith College Special Collections
Ada Comstock Distinguished Women Scholar Award & LectureAda Comstock Scholars ProgramRecords of the President of Radcliffe College, 1923-1943: A Finding Aid.Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
Papers, 1818, 1887-1982: A Finding Aid.
Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Comstock, Ada 1876 births 1973 deaths People from Moorhead, Minnesota American educational theorists Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Presidents of Radcliffe College Smith College alumni University of Minnesota alumni Deans of women