Elizabeth Peet

Elizabeth Peet (March 26, 1874 – June 29, 1961) was an American educator of the deaf who taught at Gallaudet University for more than fifty years. Born to a deaf mother and a hearing father, Peet learned American Sign Language at an early age, and was a scholar in the history and etymology of ASL signs. She was described by U.S. Representative George P. Miller in 1950 as "a tiny lady who is considered the world's leading authority on sign language."

Early life

Elizabeth Peet was born in New York City on March 26, 1874. Peet grew up as a CODA (child of deaf adult), as her mother, poet Mary Toles Peet, was deaf and used American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate. Her father and grandfather were both educators of the deaf: her grandfather Harvey P. Peet served as the president of the New York Institution for the Deaf for decades, while her father Isaac Lewis Peet grew up on the campus and would later become president of the same institution. She attended private schools and was tutored in Latin by her father.

The Elizabeth Peet Award is given annually to an outstanding graduate student in school psychology at Gallaudet.