Anna M. (Anna Maria) Cooley

Born in New York City in 1874, Anna Maria Cooley became an influential American home economist and educator. She taught household arts at Teachers College, Columbia University for many years, serving there from 1904 to 1941.

Cooley wrote textbooks that made everyday domestic work feel teachable, organized, and important. Her books covered subjects such as food, household management, clothing, health, and family life, reflecting the growing movement to treat home economics as a serious field of study.

Remembered today both as a professor and as a writer, she helped turn practical knowledge into classroom learning for generations of students. She died in Pawling, New York, in 1955.