Helen C. White

Who was Helen C. White?

Helen C. White was an English professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. White twice served as the English department chair and was the first woman to become a full professor in the university's College of Letters and Science. She was also the first woman elected president of the American Association of University Professors, and a president of the American Association of University Women, University of Wisconsin Teachers' Union, and University Club. White wrote six novels and numerous nonfiction books and articles.

White was raised in Boston in a Roman Catholic household, and kept the faith for the rest of her life. She graduated from the Boston Girls' High School and Radcliffe College. After completing her master's degree, she taught at Smith College for two years before moving West to study for her doctorate in Madison. White loved the city and became an assistant professor there upon completing her Ph.D. in 1924 with a dissertation on William Blake. She taught courses including freshman English and metaphysical poetry graduate seminars. White's students included writers such as August Derleth, Herbert Kubly, and Mark Schorer.