Winifred Edgerton Merrill

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Winifred Edgerton Merrill

1862-1951

American mathematician who was the first American woman to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics. Although the Board of Trustees at Columbia University refused Merrill's first application for a doctorate, she prevailed with the support of the university president and by personally meeting with each of the trustees. Merrill made important contributions to the mathematics of astronomy and taught college mathematics for many years at a number of schools.