About Katharine McCormick
Katharine Dexter McCormick (August 27, 1875 – December 28, 1967) was an American suffragist, philanthropist and, after her husband's death, heir to a substantial part of the McCormick family fortune. She funded most of the research necessary to develop the first birth control pill. == Early life and education == Katharine Dexter was born on August 27, 1875, in Dexter, Michigan, in her grandparents' mansion, Gordon Hall. Her grandfather, the judge Samuel W. Dexter, son of politician Samuel Dexter, had settled and founded the town in 1824. She grew up in Chicago where her father, Wirt Dexter, was a prominent lawyer and philanthropic leader. Following the early death of her father of a heart attack at age 57 when she was 14 years old, she and her mother Josephine moved to Boston in 1890. Four years later, her brother Samuel died of meningitis at age 25. Dexter passed entrance exams to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1896, but was required to take three years of prerequisite classes to enroll. Arriving in 1899, Katharine graduated in 1904, earning a BSc in biology. == Marriage to Stanley McCormick == She planned to attend medical school, but instead married Stanley Robert McCormick, the youngest son of Cyrus McCormick and heir to the International Harvester fortune, on September 15, 1904.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.