June Rose Colby

Portrait of June Rose Colby, Michigan

Portrait of June Rose Colby

Portraits of June Rose Colby, 1856-1941

“Here is my confession of faith: I believe in life. I believe in literature. I believe in boys and girls. I believe that life is the most interesting thing in the world, and that we all love it.”
                      
   — June Rose Colby, from Training Teachers of Appreciation

June Rose Colby was born to Lewis and Celestia Colby on June 4, 1856 in Cherry Valley, Ohio. June was home schooled by her mother for her early years and eventually graduated from Ann Arbor High School in Michigan in 1874. Colby enrolled at the University of Michigan where she earned her A.B. degree. After several years teaching high school, Colby earned her A.M. degree from the University of Michigan in 1885. She went on to become the first female student to complete her Ph.D. at the University in Michigan in 1886. Colby relocated to Peoria, Illinois where she continued to teach at the high school level.

Colby became a professor at Illinois State Normal University in 1892 where she taught literature, grammar, and composition. Dr. Colby retired in 1931 and died on May 11, 1941. Although she never married or had children, Dr. Colby was heavily involved in the suffragist movement on campus and nationwide through her writings. Dr. Colby often corresponded with prominent leaders in the women’s suffrage movement including Jane Addams, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Mary A. Livermore. To honor Dr. Colby’s commitment to Illinois State Normal University, a residence hall was dedicated to her on October 14, 1961. The residence hall was demolished in 2016.

From the June Rose Colby Collection, Dr. JoAnn Rayfield Archives, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois