Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame

Alice Paul

Rosa Ponselle

The Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame (CWHF) recognizes women natives or residents of the U.S. state of Connecticut for their significant achievements or statewide contributions.

The CWHF had its beginnings in 1993 when a group of volunteers partnered with Hartford College for Women to establish an organization to honor distinguished contributions by female role models associated with Connecticut. The first list of inductees contained forty-one women notable to Connecticut's history and culture, many of whom broke down barriers by becoming the first women to establish themselves in fields that had been previously denied to their gender.^[1] Alice Paul, who had a role in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and later wrote the first version of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment, was on the 1994 list of women. Also on that first list were actress Katharine Hepburn and her mother Katharine Martha Houghton Hepburn, who was a pioneer in women's rights and planned parenthood issues. Three of the Beecher clan are on that first list, Hartford Female Seminary founder Catharine Beecher, founder of the Connecticut Women's Suffrage Association Isabella Beecher Hooker and abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Governor Ella T. Grasso was honored in 1994, as was Estelle Griswold, whose landmark Griswold v. Connecticut before the United States Supreme Court resulted in Connecticut's anti-birth control statute being declared unconstitutional.

In the ensuing two decades, the list has more than doubled. Artist Laura Wheeler Waring, who found fame by creating portraits of prominent African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance, was added in 1997. Abstract artist Helen Frankenthaler became part of the list in 2005. African American opera divas are on the list, Marian Anderson in 1994 and Rosa Ponselle in 1998. Ambassador, politician and playwright Clare Boothe Luce's 1994 appearance on the list was later joined by 19th century free black woman journalist Maria W. Stewart in 2001 and by war correspondent and human rights activist Jane Hamilton-Merritt in 1999. In 2008, the list gained Nobel Prize in Medicine winner, geneticist Barbara McClintock. The Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction winner Annie Dillard was added to the list in 1997.

The CWHF provides educational resources through two traveling exhibits, the Inductee Portrait Exhibit,^[2] and its We Fight For Roses, Too,^[3] a set of twenty-two standing panels displaying the stories of the inductees. The CWHF also provides speakers upon request.^[4]

Inductees

Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame

Name	Image	Birth–Death	Year	Area of achievement	Ref(s)
Akeley, Mary JobeMary Jobe Akeley		(1886–1966)	1994	Explorer	[5]
Albers, AnniAnni Albers		(1899–1994)	1994	Textile artist	[6]
Anderson, MarianMarian Anderson		(1897–1993)	1994	Opera singer who broke ground for African Americans	[7]
Auerbach, Beatrice FoxBeatrice Fox Auerbach		(1887–1968)	1994	Philanthropist, president and director of G. Fox & Co., from 1938 to 1959 she made her store available to Connecticut College for Women as a training program for retail education.	[8]
Baker, Emma FieldingEmma Fielding Baker		(1828–1916)	1994	Mohegan medicine woman, tribal historian and documentarian	[9]
Barringer, Emily DunningEmily Dunning Barringer		(1876–1961)	2000	First female ambulance surgeon and first woman medical resident at New York City's Gouverneur Hospital	[10]
Batchelder, Evelyn LongmanEvelyn Longman Batchelder		(1874–1954)	1994	Sculptor	[11]
Baughns-Wallace, AdrianneAdrianne Baughns-Wallace		(1944)	2000	News anchor	[12]
Beecher, CatharineCatharine Beecher		(1800–1878)	1994	Proponent of education for women, founded Hartford Female Seminary	[13]
Bourke-White, MargaretMargaret Bourke-White		(1904–1971)	2015	American photographer and documentary photographer	[14]
Cobb, Jewel PlummerJewel Plummer Cobb		(b. 1924)	2008	Educator, cancer researcher	[15]
Cohen, JodyJody Cohen		(b. 1954)	1994	Rabbi	[16]
Colt, Elizabeth Hart JarvisElizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt		(1826–1905)	1997	Widow of Samuel Colt, donated her entire art and firearms collection to Wadsworth Atheneum Museum, and provided funding to erect a Colt Memorial wing of the museum	[17]
Coolidge, MarthaMartha Coolidge		(b. 1946)	2005	First female president (2002) Directors Guild of America	[18]
Crandall, PrudencePrudence Crandall		(1803–1890)	1994	Abolitionist who accepted black students into her female academy in Canterbury, Connecticut	[19]
Day, Katharine SeymourKatharine Seymour Day		(1870–1964)	1994	Preservationist who rescued historic homes	[20]
DeLauro, RosaRosa DeLauro		(b. 1943)	2013	U.S. Representative for Connecticut's 3rd District	[21]
Dillard, AnnieAnnie Dillard		(b. 1945)	1997	Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek	[22]
Farrand, BeatrixBeatrix Farrand		(1872–1959)	2014	Landscape architect	[23]
Feeney, Helen M.Helen M. Feeney		(1919–2004)	1995	Roman Catholic Chancellor of the Archdiocese	[24]
Fielding, Fidelia HoscottFidelia Hoscott Fielding		(1827–1908)	1994	Last native speaker of the Mohegan Pequot language	[25]
Frankenthaler, Helen M.Helen M. Frankenthaler		(1928–2011)	2005	Abstract expressionist artist	[26]
Franklin, BarbaraBarbara Franklin		(b. 1940)	2013	President and CEO of Barbara Franklin Enterprises, 29th U.S. Secretary of Commerce	[27]
Franklin, Martha MinervaMartha Minerva Franklin		(1870–1968)	2009	Role model for black nurses	[28]
Gaines, Edythe J.Edythe J. Gaines		(1922–2006)	1996	Superintendent of schools (first female and first African American) Hartford, director Hartford National Corp.	[29]
Garrels, AnneAnne Garrels		(b. 1951)	2012	Foreign correspondent for National Public Radio	[30]
Gilman, Charlotte PerkinsCharlotte Perkins Gilman		(1860–1935)	1994	Sociologist and author	[31]
Goldman-Rakic, PatriciaPatricia Goldman-Rakic		(1937–2003)	2008	Yale University School of Medicine, pioneer in working memory research	[32]
Goodwin, DorothyDorothy Goodwin		(1914–2007)	1994	Five-term Democratic state representative	[33]
Grasso, Ella TambussiElla Tambussi Grasso		(1919–1981)	1994	Governor of Connecticut	[34]
Griswold, EstelleEstelle Griswold		(1900–1981)	1994	Griswold v. Connecticut, United States Supreme Court ruled that Connecticut's anti-birth control statute was unconstitutional	[35]
Griswold, FlorenceFlorence Griswold		(1850–1937)	2002	Patron of American Impressionism art, Florence Griswold Museum, the Old Lyme Art Colony was headquartered in her home	[36]
Hall, MaryMary Hall		(1843–1927)	1994	After passing the Connecticut Superior Court exam, won an 1882 ruling from Chief Justice John Park of the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors that women were entitle to equal protection under Connecticut statutes and entitled to practice law in the state.	[37]
Hamill, DorothyDorothy Hamill		(b. 1956)	2007	Olympic gold medalist skater	[38]
Hamilton, AliceAlice Hamilton		(1869–1970)	1994	First woman appointed to the faculty of Harvard University	[39]
Hamilton-Merritt, JaneJane Hamilton-Merritt		(b. 1947)	1999	Photo journalist, war correspondent, human rights advocate, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize	[40]
Hepburn, KatharineKatharine Hepburn		(1907–2003)	1994	Actress	[41]
Hepburn, Katharine Martha HoughtonKatharine Martha Houghton Hepburn		(1878–1951)	1994	Women's rights and Planned Parenthood	[42]
Hewins, Caroline MariaCaroline Maria Hewins		(1846–1926)	1995	Children's library services	[43]
Hillyer, Dotha BushnellDotha Bushnell Hillyer		(1843–1932)	2003	Built Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts as a memorial to her father	[44]
Hoffleit, DorritDorrit Hoffleit		(1907–2007)	1998	Astronomer who discovered more than 1,000 variable stars, author, Bright Star Catalogue, The General Catalogue of Trigonometric Stellar Parallaxes	[45]
Hooker, Isabella BeecherIsabella Beecher Hooker		(1822–1907)	1994	Founder of the Connecticut Women's Suffrage Association	[46]
Jenson, Mary GoodrichMary Goodrich Jenson		(1907–2004)	2000	Aviation pioneer, newspaper reporter	[47]
Jones, Emeline RobertsEmeline Roberts Jones		(1836–1916)	1994	Dentist, considered by some to be the first woman dentist in America	[48]
Joyce, JoanJoan Joyce		(b. 1940)	2007	Multi-sports athlete	[49]
Keller, HelenHelen Keller		(1880–1968)	2006	Educator, author	[50]
Kelley, Isabelle M.Isabelle M. Kelley		(1917–1997)	2011	Director Food Stamp Program and principal author of the program	[51]
Kennelly, BarbaraBarbara Kennelly		(b. 1936)	1994	United States House of Representatives	[52]
Kraus, EileenEileen Kraus		(b. 1938)	2002	Business executive	[53]
L'Engle, MadeleineMadeleine L'Engle		(1918–2007)	1996	Newbery Award for children's literature	[54]
Langer, SusanneSusanne Langer		(1895–1985)	1996	Educator, philosopher	[55]
Lawton, JenniferJennifer Lawton			2014	3D printing pioneer	[56]
Leibovitz, AnnieAnnie Leibovitz		(b. 1949)	2012	Portrait photographer	[57]
Lobo, RebeccaRebecca Lobo		(b. 1973)	2016	American television basketball analyst and former women's basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association	[58]
Lopiano, DonnaDonna Lopiano		(b. 1946)	1995	Athlete, gender equality in sports advocate	[59]
Lorimer, LindaLinda Lorimer			2013	Vice President of Yale University	[60]
Luce, Clare BootheClare Boothe Luce		(1903–1987)	1994	United States Ambassador to Brazil, United States Ambassador to Italy, United States House of Representatives, Presidential Medal of Freedom, playwright, novelist	[61]
Mazure, Carolyn M.Carolyn M. Mazure		(b. 1949)	2009	Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at Yale School of Medicine; created Women's Health Research at Yale	[62]
McClintock, BarbaraBarbara McClintock		(1902–1992)	2008	Geneticist and first woman who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine unshared	[63]
McLean, Clarice "Dollie"Clarice "Dollie" McLean		(b. 1936)	2003	Founder of The Artists Collective, a training center for the performing arts	[64]
Middleton, FaithFaith Middleton		(b. 1948)	2012	Connecticut public radio talk show host	[65]
Miles, CarolynCarolyn Miles			2015	CEO and president of Save the Children	[66]
Milton, Rachel TaylorRachel Taylor Milton		(1901–1995)	1994	Co-founder of the Urban League of Greater Harford	[67]
Motley, Constance BakerConstance Baker Motley		(1921–2005)	1998	African American civil rights activist, lawyer, judge, New York State Senator	[68]
Mulcahy, Anne M.Anne M. Mulcahy		(b. 1952)	2010	Former CEO of Xerox Corporation	[69]
Nappier, Denise LynnDenise Lynn Nappier		(b. 1951)	2011	First woman elected State Treasurer in Connecticut history, first African American woman elected State Treasurer in the nation, and first African American woman elected to statewide office in Connecticut	[70]
Nooyi, IndraIndra Nooyi		(b. 1955)	2015	CEO of PepsiCo	[71]
Nyro, LauraLaura Nyro		(1947–1997)	2001	Singer, songwriter	[72]
Parsons, MarthaMartha Parsons		(1869–1965)	2010	Executive secretary of Landers, Frary and Clark Co.	[73]
Paul, AliceAlice Paul		(1885–1977)	1994	Suffragist, founder National Woman's Party	[74]
Pauley, JaneJane Pauley		(b. 1950)	2016	American television anchor and journalist	[58]
Peters, Ellen AshEllen Ash Peters		(b. 1930)	1994	First woman Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court	[75]
Petry, AnnAnn Petry		(1908–1997)	1994	Author	[76]
Ponselle, RosaRosa Ponselle		(1897–1981)	1998	Opera singer, honored on a U.S. postage stamp	[77]
Porter, SarahSarah Porter		(1813–1900)	1994	Founder Miss Porter's School, private college prep school for girls	[78]
Riddle, Theodate PopeTheodate Pope Riddle		(1867–1946)	1994	Architect	[79]
Roraback, CatherineCatherine Roraback		(1920–2007)	2001	Civil liberties attorney	[80]
Rosario, Edna NegronEdna Negron Rosario		(b. 1955)	1994	Educator	[81]
Rose, MargoMargo Rose		(1903–1997)	1997	American Puppet Theater	[82]
Rudkin, Margaret FogartyMargaret Fogarty Rudkin		(1898–1967)	1994	Founder of Pepperidge Farm	[83]
Russell, RosalindRosalind Russell		(1906–1976)	2005	Actress	[84]
Saint James, SusanSusan Saint James		(b. 1946)	1994	Actress, philanthropist	[85]
Salzman, MarianMarian Salzman			2014	Public relations person	[86]
Sanchez, Maria C.Maria C. Sanchez		(1926–1989)	1995	First Hispanic woman elected to the Connecticut General Assembly	[87]
Seymour, Mary TownsendMary Townsend Seymour		(1873–1957)	2006	First African American woman to run for state office	[88]
Sigourney, Lydia HuntleyLydia Huntley Sigourney		(1791–1865)	1994	Poet	[89]
Smith, Virginia ThrallVirginia Thrall Smith		(1836–1903)	1994	Women's and children's rights advocate	[90]
Smiths of Glastonbury, TheThe Smiths of Glastonbury			1994	Sisters Hannah, Hancy, Cynrinthia, Laurilla, Julia and Abby. Family of early suffragists. Their home Kimberly Mansion is listed on the NRHP for Glastonbury.	[91]
Smits, Helen L.Helen L. Smits		(b. 1937)	2009	Advocate for quality healthcare	[92]
Stanback, AnneAnne Stanback		(b. 1958)	2006	Founder of Love Makes a Family, advocate LGBT community	[93]
Standish, Hilda CrosbyHilda Crosby Standish		(1902–2005)	1994	Connecticut's first birth control clinic	[94]
Steitz, JoanJoan Steitz		(b. 1941)	2008	Yale University professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemestry	[95]
Stewart, Maria MillerMaria Miller Stewart		(1803–1879)	2001	Free black woman journalist, abolitionist, women's rights advocate	[96]
Stowe, Harriet BeecherHarriet Beecher Stowe		(1811–1896)	1994	Abolitionist, author	[97]
Tantaquidgeon, GladysGladys Tantaquidgeon		(1899–2005)	1994	Mohegan anthropologist, author, council member, and elder	[98]
Tianti, BettyBetty Tianti		(1929–1994)	1994	First female president of a state AFL-CIO	[99]
Troup, Augusta LewisAugusta Lewis Troup			2013	Union organizer, journalist and promoter of the suffrage movement	[100]
Tucker, SophieSophie Tucker		(1884–1966)	1999	Vaudeville singer and actress	[101]
Uccello, AntoninaAntonina Uccello		(b. 1922)	1999	Elected mayor of Hartford in 1967, first female mayor in both the city and the state	[102]
Vare, Glenna CollettGlenna Collett Vare		(1903–1989)	2007	Champion golfer	[103]
Vernon, LillianLillian Vernon		(1927–2015)	1998	Founded the Lillian Vernon Company	[104]
Wald, FlorenceFlorence Wald		(1916–2008)	1999	Pioneered hospice care, National Women's Hall of Fame, Dean of Yale School of Nursing, American Academy of Nursing's Living Legend Award	[105]
Wald, Patricia M.Patricia M. Wald		(b. 1928)	2011	Jurist, Chair of the Open Society Institute's Criminal Justice Initiative, Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs for the U.S. Department of Justice, first woman to sit on the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, subsequently serving as its Chief Judge	[106]
Waring, Laura WheelerLaura Wheeler Waring		(1887–1948)	1997	Educator and artist who created portraits of prominent African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance	[107]
Watson, Hannah BunceHannah Bunce Watson		(1750–1807)	1994	Newspaper publisher whose printed output supported the American Revolutionary War	[108]
Wilderotter, MaggieMaggie Wilderotter		(b. 1955)	2010	Chairman and CEO of Frontier Communications	[109]
Winter, Miriam ThereseMiriam Therese Winter		(b. 1938)	2002	Roman Catholic nun, music composer, author	[110]
Woodhouse, Chase GoingChase Going Woodhouse		(1890–1984)	1994	First female Connecticut Secretary of State, United States House of Representatives	[111]
Wright, Mabel OsgoodMabel Osgood Wright		(1859–1935)	1998	Founder and first president of Connecticut Audubon Society; established first bird sanctuary in U.S. in Fairfield, CT	[112]
Yerwood, JoyceJoyce Yerwood			2016	First African American woman physician in Fairfield County	[58]

Footnotes

References

• Chung, King-Thom (2009). Women Pioneers of Medical Research: Biographies of 25 Outstanding Scientists. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-2927-1. 
• Green, Carol Hurd; Sicherman, Barbara (1986). Notable American Women: The Modern Period: A Biographical Dictionary. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-62733-8. 
• Heinemann, Sue (1996). Timelines of American Women's History. New York, NY: Berkley. ISBN 978-0-399-51986-4. 
• Humphrey, Carol Sue (2011). Voices of Revolutionary America: Contemporary Accounts of Daily Life. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-313-37732-7. 
• Jasen, David A. (2003). Tin Pan Alley: An Encyclopedia of the Golden Age of American Song. New York, NY: Routledge – via Questia (subscription required) . ISBN 0-415-93877-5. 
• Kavasch, E. Barrie (2003). Ancestral Threads:: Weaving Remembrance in Poetry & Essays & Family Folklore. iUniverse. ISBN 978-0-595-27397-3. 
• Leavitt, Judith A. (1985). American Women Managers and Administrators: A Selective Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Leaders in Business, Education, and Government. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press – via Questia (subscription required) . ISBN 0-313-23748-4. 
• Merchant, Carolyn (2002). The Columbia Guide to American Environmental History. New York, NY: Columbia University Press – via Questia (subscription required) . ISBN 0-231-11232-7. 
• Murphree, Daniel S. (2012). Native America. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-38126-3. 
• Otfinoski, Steven (2003). African Americans in the visual arts. New York, NY: Facts on File. ISBN 978-0-8160-4880-9. 
• Rogers, Kara (2011). Medicine and Healers Through. New York, NY: Rosen Educational Services LLC. ISBN 978-1-61530-367-0. 
• Schenken, Suzanne O'Day (1990). From Suffrage to the Senate: An Encyclopedia of American Women in Politics. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-87436-960-1. 
• Sheftall, Guy (1995). Words of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought. New York, NY: The New Press. ISBN 978-1-56584-256-4. 
• Sonneborn, Liz (2002). A to Z of American women in the performing arts. Facts on File. ISBN 978-0-8160-4398-9. 
• Stern, Madeleine B. (1994). We the Women: Career Firsts of Nineteenth-Century America. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press – via Questia (subscription required) . ISBN 0-8032-9223-6. 
• Tinling, Marion (1986). Women Remembered: A Guide to Landmarks of Women's History in the United States. New York, NY: Greenwood Press  – via Questia (subscription required) . ISBN 0-313-23984-3. 
• Woolum, Janet (1998). Outstanding Women Athletes: Who They Are and How They Influenced Sports in America (2nd ed.). Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press  – via Questia (subscription required) . ISBN 1-57356-120-7. 

Further reading

• Pirrotta, Paul (2015). Hartford Mayor Ann Uccello: A Connecticut Trailblazer. Charleston, SC: The History Press. ISBN 978-1-4671-1889-7. 

External links

• Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame