Annie Nathan Meyer

Born in New York City, Annie Nathan Meyer was largely self-educated. After spending some time in Wisconsin and Chicago, she returned to New York in 1878 and, after her older sister married, ran her family’s household. She also founded a reading circle, embarked on a correspondence course for women run by Columbia University, and began writing. In 1887, she married pulmonologist Alfred Meyer. Her efforts to establish a women’s college affiliated with Columbia University yielded speedy results, and within a year, in October 1889, Barnard College, the first liberal arts college for women in New York, opened its doors. Meyer served as member of the board, fundraising for the college and publicizing it. She also raised funds to support African American students (the first being Zora Neale Hurston) and Jewish students. Interestingly, Meyer opposed the women’s suffrage movement, whereas her older sister, Maud, was a strong supporter. In addition to an autobiography, published in the year of her death, Meyer wrote novels, articles, short stories, and plays.