Mary Lyon

Mary Lyon
Portrait of Mary Lyon, 1832
1st President of Mount Holyoke College (Founder and Principal)
In office 1837–1849
Succeeded by	Mary C. Whitman
Personal details
Born	February 28, 1797 near Buckland, Massachusetts
Died	March 5, 1849(1849-03-05) (aged 52) South Hadley, Massachusetts
Resting place	Mount Holyoke College

Mary Mason Lyon (/ˈlaɪ.ən/; February 28, 1797 – March 5, 1849) was an American pioneer in women's education. She established the Wheaton Female Seminary in Norton, Massachusetts, (now Wheaton College) in 1834. She then established Mount Holyoke Female Seminary (now Mount Holyoke College) in South Hadley, Massachusetts, in 1837 and served as its first president (or "principal") for 12 years. Lyon's vision fused intellectual challenge and moral purpose. She valued socioeconomic diversity and endeavored to make the seminary affordable for students of modest means.