Mary Allan (British academic) explained

Mary Miller Allan (12 August 1869 – 1 November 1947)^[1] was a Scottish academic and educator.^[2] From 1903 to 1935, she was Principal of Homerton College, Cambridge.^[3]

Biography

Allan was born and raised in Glasgow, the daughter of William Allan and Margaret Young.^[4] She was educated at the University of St Andrews, graduating with a "Lady Literate in Arts" (LLA) degree in 1894 (before women were allowed to earn standard degrees at the university). She became principal of Homerton College, Cambridge in 1903.^[5] She appointed female lecturers, and became the first female president of the Training College Association in 1916.^[6] She retired from Homerton in 1935.^[7]

Death

Mary Miller Allan died in 1947 in Cambridge. There is a Mary Allan Building at Cambridge, named in her memory.^[8] A 1919 portrait of Allan, by Hugh Goldwin Rivière, is in the college's collection.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Mary Miller Allan, Principal of Homerton College (1903–1935). Art UK. 31 March 2019.
2. Women in Teacher Training Colleges, 1900–1960: A Culture of Femininity. Edwards, E pg. 77: London: Routledge (2001);
3. Web site: Mary Miller Allan. Homerton 250. 31 March 2019.
4. Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564–1950
5. Edwards, Elizabeth. "Mary Miller Allan: The Complexity of Gender Negotiations for a Woman Principal of a Teacher Training College" in Pam Hirsch and Mary Hilton, eds., Practical Visionaries: Women, Education, and Social Progress, 1790-1930 (Routledge 2014): pp. 149-164;
6. Edwards. Elizabeth. 1995-06-01. Homoerotic friendship and college principals, 1880-1960. Women's History Review. 4. 2. 149–163. 10.1080/09612029500200080. 0961-2025. free.
7. Warner, Peter. "Homerton: A Brief History"; pg. 3.
8. Web site: Mary Allan Building. 28 July 2020. Map of the University of Cambridge.