Women in Transportation: Changing America's History

Women in Transportation: Changing America's History

Reference Materials

Office of Engineering, HNG-22 Office of Highway Information Management, HPM-40 March 1998

W O M E N I N T R A N S P O RTAT I O N : C H A N G I N G A M E R I C A' S H I S TO RY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Walking Toward Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Harriet Tubman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Maritime Pioneers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Martha Coston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Mary Patten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Ida Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Thea Foss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Other Women and the Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Nettie Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Mary Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Callie French . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Mary Becker Greene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Lydia Weld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Mary Converse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Traveling Journalists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Nellie Bly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Balloonists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Mary Myers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Aida de Acosta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Jeannette Piccard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Early Civil Engineers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Emily Warren Roebling . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Elizabeth Bragg Cumming . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Elimina Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Women Behind the Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Anne Bush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Alice Huyler Ramsey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Janet Guthrie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Paving the Way in Transit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Helen Schultz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Working on the Railroads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Mary Walton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Olive Dennis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Taking Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Harriet Quimby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Amelia Earhart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Bessie Coleman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Willa Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Jacqueline Cochran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Phoebe Fairgrove Omlie . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Katherine Stinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Louise Thaden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Linda Finch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Women During World War II: Rosie the Riveter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Urban Design and Livable Communities . . . . .24 Jane Jacobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Chemical Engineers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Katherine Burr Blodgett . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Stephanie Louise Kwolek . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Edith M. Flanigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Other Contributions in Science and Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Mary Engle Pennington . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Helen Blair Bartlett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Gertrude Rand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Elsie Eaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Ivy Parker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Traveling in Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Sally Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Other Astornauts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Women Administrators in Transportation . . . . . . . Beverly Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Judith A. Carlson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Karen M. Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Mary Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Alinda C. Burke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Elizabeth Dole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Carmen Turner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Selected Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

W O M E N I N T R A N S P O RTAT I O N : C H A N G I N G A M E R I C A' S H I S TO RY

INTRODUCTION

Transportation has long been considered a man's field, but throughout time, women have made significant contributions to the transportation industry and laid the groundwork for future innovation. Women have worked in every mode of transportation, and in every type of job, from legislative and managerial positions to maintenance work. Since the time when travel was dominated by walking, horse-drawn carriages, and sailing ships, through the era of the railroads and automobiles, and now as aviation pushes into the frontiers of space, women have been part of the innovations, explorations, and manufacturing of transportation. Moreover, women have made these contributions to the transportation industry and to American society despite the fact they did not receive the right to vote until the 19th amendment was ratified on August 26, 1920.

This guide describes innovative and remarkable women who have pioneered and succeeded in a predominantly male field. In this document, the coverage of different transportation modes is uneven. The easiest to find and largest quantity of research material is on women in aviation, beginning with Harriet Quimby. There is still much work to be done to research and document the many contributions women have made in this and other fields of transportation. More research needs to be conducted at the U.S. Patent Office, and the contributions of women at the major automobile manufacturers today should also be documented. We hope this resource document is only the first step in a long process to preserve the history of women in transportation.

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