Katharine Blunt

Born in Philadelphia in 1876, Katharine Blunt studied at Vassar College, did postgraduate work at MIT, and earned a PhD in chemistry and physics from the University of Chicago in 1907. Her training in science shaped the rest of her career, especially her interest in food chemistry and nutrition.

After teaching at Pratt Institute and Vassar, she joined the University of Chicago, where she became a leading figure in home economics. She worked to give the field stronger scientific standards and helped build one of the university's major programs in nutrition and household science. Her research focused largely on nutrition, including work on metabolism and mineral balance.

Blunt also served as president of the American Home Economics Association and later became the third president of Connecticut College for Women. She is remembered as an educator and administrator who pushed for serious professional training for women in science-based fields. She died in 1954.