Mary Lathrop Benton

Mary Lathrop Benton (1864–1955) was a Lebanese-born American professor of Latin and French at Smith College. She also served as Dean of Women at Carleton College.

Early life and education Mary Lathrop Benton was born in Bhamdoun, Mount Lebanon, Syria (now part of Lebanon), February 26, 1864. Her parents, Rev. William Austin Benton and Mrs. Loanza Goulding Benton,

Benton received an A.B. degree at the University of Minnesota in 1885 (Phi Beta Kappa). For two and half years, she also studied in the French Normal Schools of Nîmes, Blois, and Angoulême, 1895–97. She studied in Rome and traveled abroad in 1907–08.

Career She was a teacher at Mills College from August 1893 till December 1894. While a student in the French Normal Schools of Nîmes, Blois, and Angoulême, she also taught there, from December 1894 to June 1897. She held positions of instructor, associate professor, and professor in Latin at Smith College from 1897 to 1914.

William Benton was a nephew.