Leona May Peirce

Leona May Peirce (August 4, 1863 – September 24, 1954) was an American mathematician who was denied her doctorate at Cornell, but persevered to finish her PhD at Yale in 1899. She was one of the few women to earn a doctorate in the United States in mathematics before World War II.

Biography Peirce was born August 4, 1863, in Norway, Maine to Mary Hobbs Foster and Levi Merriam Peirce, a music dealer.

When her father died suddenly in 1908, she took over management of his substantial, multi-location retail music business (L. M. Pierce Company). During the first two decades of the 20th century, she became very involved in community activities in Springfield. In 1914, she said that her favorite hobby was "driving and automobiling."

Memberships ACA (later: American Association of University Women) Phi Beta Kappa