Mary Rippon

Mary Rippon (May 25, 1850 - September 8, 1935) is believed to have been the first woman to teach at a state university. She was, however, the first female professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. Rippon began teaching French and German at CU in 1878, became head of Germanic languages and literature, and served at the university until 1909.

Early life Mary Rippon was born May 25, 1850, in Lisbon, Illinois, to Thomas Rippon and Jane Skinner, who had immigrated from England. Her father died when she was ten months old, and because he did not leave a will and Mary was his only child, she inherited his farm. After her mother abandoned her, she lived with neighbors and extended family.

She attended the high school department of Illinois State Normal University, a teacher training school. Money from the sale of the farm funded her education, and when she turned 18 she had access to the remainder of her inheritance. Rippon arrived at the University of Colorado to teach German and French language and literature; during the first term she also taught English grammar and mathematics.

Posthumous honors Mary Rippon died on September 8, 1935, from myocarditis.

Rippon was awarded a posthumous honorary doctorate from the University of Colorado in May 2006.

Separate Lives: Uncovering the Hidden Family of Victorian Professor Mary Rippon, by Silvia Pettem (Lyons Press 2024) updates Pettem's previous edition of Separate Lives and brings Rippon's story into the 21st century.