Virginia Claypool Meredith

Virginia Claypool Meredith, born in 1848, encouraged women to pursue education and careers related to farm life as a writer, speaker, stockbreeder, and university professor. She inherited Oakland Farm, three blocks south, in 1882 and successfully grew its business and her reputation as a farm expert. By the 1880s, she was promoting the advancement of farm women to an international audience through speeches for farmers’ institutes and women’s clubs and through publications including Breeders’ Gazette. Appointed to the 1893 World's Fair Board of Lady Managers, she became known as the "Queen of American Agriculture." She also led efforts to establish home economics science education at the University of Minnesota and Purdue University. In 1921, she became the first female Purdue Trustee and served until her death in 1936.

Cambridge City, Indiana · United States