True Life Tuesday: Ellen Swallow Richards

Ellen Henrietta Swallow was born on December 3, 1842 in Dunstable, Massachusetts. She was the only child of Peter and Fanny nee Gould Taylor Swallow. While her parents were both from modest means they held education in a high value. During her early years she was homeschooled. In 1859 the family moved to Westford, Massachusetts where she attended Westford Academy. She was very proficient in Latin which allowed her to also study French and German. She was in high demand as a tutor and used the money she earned to further her education. In May 1862 she developed measles which interrupted her preparations to become a teacher. In June 1864 she took a teaching position when her family moved to Littleboro, Massachusetts. She did not teach in 1865 and spent the year running the family store and taking care of her ill mother. 

In September 1868 she entered Vassar College from where she graduated with her Bachelors degree in 1870. In December 1870 she was admitted to MIT as a special student in chemistry after a vote by the faculty. This made her the first woman to be admitted to the school. She graduated with her Bachelors degree in 1873. She continued her advanced studies at the school but the administration balked at granting her an advanced degree. 

On June 4, 1875 she married Robert Hallowell Richards. He was the chairman of the mine engineering department at MIT. The couple took up residence in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. With her husband's support she stayed on at MIT as a volunteer. She also worked with the Woman's Laboratory which assisted mostly teachers with learning how to conduct scientific experiments. She also worked as an unpaid chemistry lecturer from 1873-78. Starting in 1884 until her death Ellen also taught at the newly founded laboratory of sanitary chemistry at the Lawrence Experiment Station. She also held several positions with the state of Massachusetts including as a consulting chemist for the State Board of Health from 1872-5 and as the official water analyst from 1887-97. In her work she focused on air and water quality, mineralogy and home sanitation. She was also heavily involved in women's education and in home economic initiatives.

Ellen died on March 30, 1911 at her home in Jamaica Plain after suffering from angina. She was buried in her family cemetery in Gardiner, Maine. In 1973 MIT established the Ellen Shallow Richards Professorship for distinguished female faculty. Her home in Jamaica Plain was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1992. She was also inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993. Finally, in 2011 she was listed as #8 on the MIT150 list, a list of the 150 best innovators and ideas from the school.