Bertha Lamme Feicht
20th-century American engineer
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Bertha Lamme Feicht (December 16, 1869 – November 20, 1943) was an American engineer. In 1893, she became the first woman to receive a degree in engineering from the Ohio State University.[1] She is considered to be the first American woman to graduate in a main discipline of engineering other than civil engineering.[2]
December 16, 1869
Bertha Lamme Feicht | |
|---|---|
Bertha Lamme Feicht in 1892 | |
| Born | Bertha Lamme December 16, 1869 Bethel Township, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | November 20, 1943 (aged 73) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education | Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, Ohio State University |
| Occupation | Electrical engineer |
| Years active | 1893–1905 |
| Employer | Westinghouse |
| Known for | First woman to receive a degree in engineering from Ohio State |
| Spouse | Russell S. Feicht |
| Children | Florence Feicht |
Early life and education
She was born Bertha Lamme on her family's farm in Bethel Township near Springfield, Ohio on December 16, 1869.[3]
After graduating from Olive Branch High School in 1889,[3] she followed in her brother, Benjamin G. Lamme's footsteps and enrolled at Ohio State that fall.[2]
She graduated in 1893 with a degree in mechanical engineering with a specialty in electricity.[1][2][3] Her thesis was titled "An Analysis of Tests of a Westinghouse Railway Generator."[2] The student newspaper reported that there was an outbreak of spontaneous applause when she received her degree.[3]
Career
She was then hired by Westinghouse[2] as its first female engineer.[4] She worked there until she married Russell S. Feicht, her supervisor and fellow Ohio State alumnus, on December 14, 1905.[2][3]
Personal life
She had one child, Florence, born in 1910, who became a physicist for the U.S. Bureau of Mines.[2]
Bertha Lamme Feicht died in Pittsburgh on November 20, 1943[2] and was buried in Homewood Cemetery.[5]
Her husband Russell died in April 1949.[4]
Legacy
Some of her personal effects, including her slide rule, T-square, and diploma, are housed in the collections of the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.[2][3]
The Westinghouse Educational Foundation, in conjunction with the Society of Women Engineers, created a scholarship named for her in 1973.[6]