Mary Mortimer

Life & Legacy

Mary Mortimer (December 2, 1816 – July 14, 1877) was a British-born American educator. She served as principal of the Milwaukee Female College and other women's educational institutions.
When just a child, Mortimer and her family emigrated from England to the United States, settling first in New York City. At the age of sixteen, Mortimer began teaching, and in 1841, became principal of the female department of the Rockport Collegiate Institute in Brockport, New York. In 1846, she became a teacher in the Le Roy Female Seminary, and in 1850, helped establish the Milwaukee Female College, in which Catharine Beecher was deeply interested. In 1852, Mortimer became one of the managers of the American Women's Educational Association. The following year, Mortimer became the principal of Milwaukee Female College. In 1857, she took management of a private school in Elmira, New York, and in 1859, went to the female seminary at Baraboo, Wisconsin, resigning in 1863 on account of ill-health. In 1866, she became once more the principal of the Milwaukee Female College, resigning and retiring in 1874. During retirement, Mortimer became a co-founder of the Woman's Club of Milwaukee, and the Wisconsin Industrial School for Girls.