Bertha Lamme Feicht

Bertha Lamme Feicht (December 16, 1869 – November 20, 1943) was an American engineer. In 1893, she became the first woman to receive a degree in engineering from the Ohio State University.[1] She is considered to be the first American woman to graduate in a main discipline of engineering other than civil engineering.[2]

Bertha Lamme Feicht
Bertha Lamme Feicht in 1892
Born	Bertha Lamme December 16, 1869 Bethel Township, Clark County, Ohio, United States
Died	November 20, 1943 (aged 73) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Education	Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, Ohio State University
Occupation	Electrical engineer
Years active	1893–1905
Employer	Westinghouse
Known for	First woman to receive a degree in engineering from Ohio State
Spouse(s)	Russell S. Feicht
Children	Florence Feicht

Early Life and Education

She was born Bertha Lamme on her family's farm in Bethel Township near Springfield, Ohio on December 16, 1869.[3]

After graduating from Olive Branch High School in 1889,[3] she followed in her brother, Benjamin G. Lamme's footsteps and enrolled at Ohio State that fall.[2]

Bertha Lamme Feicht's diploma from Ohio State

She graduated in 1893 with a degree in mechanical engineering with a specialty in electricity.[1][2][3] Her thesis was titled "An Analysis of Tests of a Westinghouse Railway Generator."[2] The student newspaper reported that there was an outbreak of spontaneous applause when she received her degree.[3]

Career

She was then hired by Westinghouse[2] as its first female engineer.[4] She worked there until she married Russell S. Feicht, her supervisor and fellow Ohio State alumnus, on December 14, 1905.[2][3]

Personal life

She had one child, Florence, born in 1910, who became a physicist for the U.S. Bureau of Mines.[2]

Bertha Lamme Feicht died in Pittsburgh on November 20, 1943[2] and was buried in Homewood Cemetery.

Her husband Russell died in April 1949.[4]

Legacy

1892 Bertha Lamme at drawing table with compass

Some of her personal effects, including her slide rule, T-square, and diploma, are housed in the collections of the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.[2][3]

The Westinghouse Educational Foundation, in conjunction with the Society of Women Engineers, created a scholarship named for her in 1973.[5]

References

1. "Twelve Days: Bertha Lamme was first female engineering grad". Columbus, Ohio: The Ohio State University. December 18, 2013.
2. Smith, Breanna (March 1, 2012). "Let's Learn From the Past: Bertha Lamme". Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
3. Stafford, Tom (June 30, 2013). "Female engineer not quite lost to history". Springfield News-Sun. Springfield, Ohio.
4. "Westinghouse Official Dies in Retirement". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. April 23, 1949.
5. Hatch, Sybil (2006). Changing Our World: True Stories of Women Engineers (Google Book). Reston, Virginia: American Society of Civil Engineers. p. 131. ISBN 0-7844-0841-6.

Further reading

• Layne, Margaret E., ed. (2009). Women in engineering. Reston, Va.: ASCE Press. ISBN 9780784472354. OCLC 782925070.