Elizabeth Wright

Elizabeth C. Wright (November 14, 1876 – February 23, 1963) was one of the founders of Connecticut College (formerly Connecticut College for Women). She served as the first Secretary of the college from 1910–1921 and as the college's bursar from 1917–1943. Early life Wright was born on November 14, 1876 in Hartford, Connecticut. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University in 1897 where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. and went on to teach at Portland (CT) High School and Hartford Public High School. Founding Connecticut College In 1872, Wesleyan University began what was known as the "Wesleyan Experiment", allowing women to take classes at the College. Four women matriculated that fall, and it was the first time in the Connecticut region that a woman stayed enrolled in classes beyond her first term. Male alumni, though, were concerned that the College would become populated only by women, and that the College was less prestigious with women attending. In turn, they voted to stop admitting women in 1912. Upon learning that there were no longer any educational options for higher education for women in the state of Connecticut, Elizabeth Wright began contacting other colleges and universities in the region and asking them to allow women to take classes. When this proved unsuccessful, Wright contacted E.V. Mitchell, president of the women's Hartford College Club, an organization for women with college educations, with her idea of opening a women's college in Connecticut.