Mary Shotwell Ingraham

Mary Shotwell Ingraham (January 5, 1887 – April 16, 1981) was an American non-profit executive. In addition to her work with the YWCA and City University of New York (CUNY), she was the founder of the United Service Organizations (USO) and the first woman to receive the Medal for Merit.

Personal life

She was born on January 5, 1887, in Brooklyn, New York, to Henry Titus Shotwell and Alice Wyman Shotwell. That same year she married Henry Andrews Ingraham (1878–1962), a lawyer. They had four children, including Mary Bunting (1910–1998). From 1940 to 1946 she was national president of the American YWCA.

In 1946 she was selected by United States President Harry S. Truman to receive the Medal for Merit, becoming the first woman so honored. In addition to her Medal for Merit, Ingraham was recognized with honorary degrees from Wesleyan University (1958) and Columbia University (1961).

Death

Ingraham died in 1981 in Huntington, New York.