Anna J. Harrison
Anna Jane Harrison (December 23, 1912 – August 8, 1998) was an American organic chemist and a professor of chemistry at Mount Holyoke College for nearly forty years. She was the first female president of the American Chemical Society, and the recipient of twenty honorary degrees. She was nationally known for her teaching and was active nationally and internationally as a supporter of women in science. Early life and education Anna Jane Harrison was born in Benton City, Missouri, on December 23, 1912. Her parents, Albert Harrison and Mary Katherine Jones Harrison, were farmers. Her father died when she was seven, leaving her mother to manage the family farm and to care for Harrison and her elder brother. She first became interested in science while attending high school in Mexico, Missouri. She received her B.A. in 1933 in chemistry, a B.A. in 1935 in education, a M.A. in 1937 in chemistry, and a Ph.D. in 1940 in physical chemistry, all from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. Her Ph.D. dissertation focused on reactions involving sodium ketyls. Career While working towards her master's degree in chemistry, Harrison taught elementary school at the one-room country school in Audrain County, Missouri, where