About Florence Bascom
Florence Bascom (July 14, 1862 – June 18, 1945) was a pioneer American woman geologist and educator. Bascom was the second woman to earn a PhD in geology in the United States. She received her PhD in 1893 from Johns Hopkins University and was the first woman to earn a PhD at the institution in any field. In 1896 Bascom became the first woman to work for the United States Geological Survey. Bascom also founded the department of geology at Bryn Mawr College where she trained many leading women geologists. == Early life == Florence Bascom was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, on July 14, 1862, the youngest of five children. Bascom came from a family which, unlike most at the time, encouraged women's education and participation in public life. Her father John Bascom was then a professor at rhetoric at Williams College. In 1874 her father became the president of the University of Wisconsin and the family moved out west to Madison. Her mother, Emma Curtiss Bascom, was a women's rights activist involved in the suffrage movement.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.