Julia Swift Orvis (November 22, 1872 – March 16, 1949) was an American college professor, pacifist, and author of A Brief History of Poland (1916). She taught history and political science at Wellesley College for 42 years, before she retired in 1941.
Orvis earned a bachelor's degree from Vassar College in 1895, where Lucy Maynard Salmon was her mentor.[4] She pursued graduate studies at Cornell University and the Sorbonne,[5] with a fellowship from the Women's Education Association of Boston. She completed doctoral work at Cornell University in 1907,[6] with a dissertation titled "The Committees of the Constituent Assembly: A Study in the Origins of Committee Government in France".
Career
Orvis taught European history and political science at Wellesley College for 42 years, from 1899; she became an associate professor in 1907, and retired in 1941 as professor emeritus.[1][6] Orvis and fellow faculty member Phillips Bradley[7] co-founded the campus book store, Hathaway House Bookshop, in 1925.[8] She also ran a faculty club, and gave lectures to alumnae and community groups.[6][9][10]
Orvis was known for political and humanitarian activities beyond campus.[11] She wrote A Brief History of Poland (1916,).[12] From 1920 to 1925, she was executive secretary of the Society to Eliminate Economic Causes of War.[6] From 1937 she represented her precinct in Wellesley town meetings.[13] After retirement, she raised money for the Persian Relief Fund.[14]
Personal life and legacy
Orvis died at a hospital in Boston in 1949. She was 76 years old.[6] Hathaway House Bookshop continued as the campus book store until 1979.[8][15][16]