Originally published in 1928, this fascinating firsthand account of the early years of the first coordinate women’s college within a U.S. university reveals not only who founded it, but why.
The author, the first president of Newcomb College, recounts the tragedies suffered by Josephine Louise Le Monnier Newcomb, who lost both her husband and her daughter within a period of four years. In loving memory of her daughter, H. Sophie Newcomb, Mrs. Newcomb founded the college with a gift of $100,000 to Tulane University. Subsequent gifts, including a bequest in her will to maintain the college, raised her total contribution to her daughter’s memorial to more than $3.5 million.
Since the college’s humble beginnings in 1887, it has grown into an integral part of Tulane University, which enjoys a reputation as one of the finest private institutions of higher learning in the country. A Brief History was republished in 1995 by Friends for Newcomb College, who are donating proceeds from the book’s sales to the Future of Newcomb College, Inc. The money will be used to support a lawsuit by Mrs. Newcomb’s heirs to restore Newcomb as a degree-granting college within Tulane.