73 / 96
A
n American in 1900 could expect to live only to age 47.
Today life expectancy is much longer. We owe that in part
to Ellen Swallow Richards. She lived in a time when people
understood little about germs and pollution. Yet Richards knew there
was a connection between health and the environment. In the early
1900s, she wrote to the president of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT), “One of the most serious problems of civilization
is clean water and clean air, not only for ourselves but for the world.”
Ellen Swallow was born on December 3, 1842. She lived in
Dunstable, Massachusetts. Growing up, Ellen did chores on her
family’s farm and helped in their store. She also took care of her
mother, who was often sick. Ellen’s first teachers were her parents.
They saw that Ellen loved to learn. Before long, the family moved
to Westford, Massachusetts, where Ellen entered school.
Ellen became a teacher after graduation. When her mother
became ill again, Ellen returned home to help. But she was unhappy
working in the family store. She wanted to learn more, and she
wanted to go to college.
Ellen Swallow Richards:
An Early Ecologist
73