Elizabeth Putnam Sohier.

About Elizabeth Putnam Sohier

Elizabeth Putnam Sohier (1847–1926) was an American advocate for libraries. A member of Boston's wealthy class, she persuaded the Massachusetts Legislature to establish the Free Library Commission in 1890—the first of its kind in the United States. She and Anna Eliot Ticknor became the first women appointed to a United States state library agency when they were appointed to that commission in 1890. As a member of the Free Public Library Commission for thirty-six years, she worked tirelessly to ensure that every city and town in Massachusetts had a library. She also worked to encourage these libraries, once established, to expand collections and circulation. In 1952 the Commission was renamed the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.