Mary Post

Who was Mary Post?

Mary Elizabeth Post was an American teacher and a pioneer of education in Arizona. A native of Elizabethtown, New York, her father was a carpenter who loved literature. From an early age, Post and her seven siblings were taught the importance of education and manners in society. Wanting a better future for his daughter, Post's father hired a teacher to teach her during summers. A fast learner, Post got her first job as a teacher in 1856 at the age of 15.

Post applied for a scholarship at the University of Vermont, not knowing that the university did not accept female students. Undaunted by this rejection, she went on to study at the Burlington Female Seminary. In 1863, after graduating from that University, Post relocated with her family to Iowa.

In Iowa, Post met and fell in love with a politician who was a rising star in his party. While he was campaigning for an important political position, his political enemies, aware that he was about to win the election, spread a rumor that he was having an affair. While these rumors had no base, Post believed them and, deeply hurt, avoided him for the rest of her life, refusing to speak with him or respond to his letters.