Emily Huntington

Emily Huntington (January 3, 1841 – December 5, 1909) was an American author and home economics educator. She is credited as the originator of the phrase 'kitchen-garden' which was used by early home economics groups.

Early life Huntington was born in Lebanon, Connecticut on January 3, 1841 the second of four children of Dan and Emily (Wilson) Huntington. Her father was also from Lebanon and was a dry goods merchant. Her mother was born in Jewett City, Connecticut. Emily attended Wheaton Seminary in Norton, Massachusetts from 1856 to 1858 but did not graduate. In 1872 she moved to New York City.

Career In New York she became matron of the Wilson Industrial School for Girls where she worked with poor, largely immigrant families living in the east side tenement district of the city. Concerned with her charges inability to perform even domestic tasks, she sought to make her lessons instructive and enjoyable. Using this approach, Huntington wrote several books aimed at adults who hoped to educate their children, specifically daughters, in cooking and housekeeping skills. Books such as The Kitchen Garden; or, Object Lessons in Household Work included lesson plans and lists of materials needed to teach on a variety of household chores, as well as songs for pupils to sing while performing these chores. This method of teaching domestic skills was imitated in other books and in classes at industrial schools. Along with Ellen Swallow Richards, she was one of the attendees invited to attend the first Lake Placid Conference on home economics in 1899. She led a session at the conference with the title "The Kitchen-Garden and the Kindergarten."

Death Emily Huntington died of arteriosclerosis in 1909 in Windham, Connecticut after a lingering illness and was buried in Yantic Cemetery in Norwich, Connecticut.

Writings Children's Kitchen-Garden Book (1881) The Cooking Garden (1885) How to Teach Kitchen Garden (1901) Introductory Cooking Lessons (1901)