Margaret "Maggie" Boyd

Margaret "Maggie" Boyd
Margaret "Maggie" Boyd, circa 1873
Born(1845-04-07)April 7, 1845
Athens County, Ohio, USA
Died(1905-10-10)October 10, 1905
Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA

Margaret "Maggie" Boyd (1846–1905) was the first female graduate of Ohio University.[1] After receiving her bachelor's degree in 1873 and master's degree in 1876 at Ohio University, she became a faculty member at Cincinnati Wesleyan College for Women.[2] She subsequently returned to Athens, Ohio. Her legacy includes the Margaret Boyd Scholars Program and Boyd Hall at Ohio University.[3]

Early life

Margaret Boyd was born in Athens County, Ohio.[2] She is the youngest of nine children.[4]

Experience at Ohio University

Boyd earned her B.A. in 1873 and went on to get her M.A. in 1876, both at Ohio University.[2] On Sunday, June 22, 1873 Margaret wrote in her diary that she enjoyed her lecturer. The lecturer encouraged her all-male classmates to be proud that they were a part of the class graduating the first woman.[5]

Career

Boyd took her first job out of college in Cincinnati. In her diary, Margaret wrote about not wanting to leave her friends and family behind because she felt a sense of community in Athens.[5] She eventually moved back to Athens to teach at Athens High School.[6]

Legacy

Boyd's diary and personal correspondence are stored in the Ohio University archives and have been used for research on women's lives and higher education in the late 1800s.[7][8] The first women's dormitory at Ohio University was named in honor of Margaret Boyd.[1][9] Ohio University is also home to the Margaret Boyd Scholars Program, an undergraduate scholar's group which focuses on leadership and advancing women's scholarship.[10][11]

  1. 1 2 Schmitt, Jordan (2023-04-13). "150 years later, Boyd's legacy persists". OHIO Today. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  2. 1 2 3 "Margaret Boyd (1846-1905) | Ohio University". www.ohio.edu. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
  3. ↑ Shooner, Peter (2018-10-25). "A legacy fulfilled". OHIO Today. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  4. ↑ "Margaret Boyd (1846-1905) | Ohio University". www.ohio.edu. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
  5. 1 2 Boyd, Margaret (1873). Margaret Boyd diary, 1873. Athens, OH: Ohio University Archives.
  6. ↑ Burnette, Taylor (2025-08-18). "Margaret Boyd 150: OHIO Founders Day 2023". ArcGIS StoryMaps. Archives & Special Collections, Preservation & Digital Initiatives Dept, Ohio University Libraries. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  7. ↑ Shepley, Nathan (2014). "When The Margins Move: Lessons from the Writing of One University's First Female Graduate". Open Words: Access and English Studies. 8 (1): 4–23 – via WAC Clearinghouse.
  8. ↑ Myers, Christine D. (2010). University Coeducation in the Victorian Era: Inclusion in the United States and the United Kingdom. New York: Palgrave MacMillan. pp. 167–184. ISBN 978-0230622371.
  9. ↑ Hollow, Betty (2003). Ohio University, 1804-2004: The Spirit of a Singular Place. Athens: Ohio University Press. ISBN 978-0-8214-1523-8.
  10. ↑ Pennese, Isabella (2023-03-20). "Margaret Boyd Scholars' new cohort shapes way for empowered leadership". OHIO Today. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
  11. ↑ "Margaret Boyd Scholars Program | Ohio University". www.ohio.edu. Retrieved 2025-10-26.


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