Person: Haynes, Euphemia Lofton
Euphemia Lofton Haynes was an American mathematician and educator. She was the first African-American woman to earn a PhD in mathematics.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- We note that Euphemia only became Euphemia Lofton Haynes after her marriage to Harold Appo Haynes in 1917 and that she seldom used the name Martha.
- In 1886 William S Lofton had graduated from Spencerian Business College and, two years later, graduated from Howard University Dental College.
- At the 1900 census Euphemia was nine years old.
- As we noted above, by this time Lavinia and William S Lofton are divorced.
- Euphemia then spent two years at the Washington Minor Normal School, graduating with distinction in 1909.
- From these positions, Haynes was vocal in her advocacy for poor students and better schools, denouncing the system's segregation-tinged policies.
- Haynes remained head of the Mathematics Department until she retired in 1959.
- Euphemia Haynes undertook research for a Ph.D. at the Catholic University of America.
- Euphemia worked towards a mathematics doctorate with thesis advisor Aubrey Edward Landry.
- In 1943 Haynes submitted her thesis The Determination of Sets of Independent Conditions Characterizing Certain Special Cases of Symmetric Correspondences and, after she was examined by a committee including Otto Joseph Ramler (1887-1985) and Joseph Nelson Rice (1890-1988), she was awarded a doctorate in 1943.
- With the award of her doctorate Euphemia Haynes became the first African American woman to be awarded a Ph.D. in mathematics.
- Harold retired in 1958 and Euphemia retired in 1959, although she continued to lecture occasionally at Howard University.
- Euphemia's lifelong Catholicism often motivated her activism.
- Euphemia remained active in professional educational organizations like the Catholic College Alumnae and Sigma Delta Epsilon as well.
- Dr Euphemia Haynes is perhaps most well known as a member of the District of Columbia Board of Education from 1960 to 1968.
- While on the Board during the tumultuous 1960s, Dr. Haynes vigorously advocated for poor students and better schools with high academic standards.
- Dr. Haynes opted not to run for election in 1968 and retired from board service.
- Dr Harold Haynes died in 1978 at 89 years old.
- Euphemia Haynes died of a heart attack, also at the age of 89.
- The University named the chair she funded as the Euphemia Haynes Chair in the Department of Education.
- The gift was willed to the university in a trust fund Mrs Haynes established for the support of a professorial chair in the School of Education.
- Another honour followed her death when in 2004 the E L Haynes Public Charter School in Washington, DC was named for her.
Born 11 September 1890, Washington, D.C., USA. Died 25 July 1980, Washington, D.C., USA.
View full biography at MacTutor
Tags relevant for this person:
African American, Origin Usa, Women
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0! 
- Github:
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- non-Github:
- @J-J-O'Connor
- @E-F-Robertson
References
Adapted from other CC BY-SA 4.0 Sources:
- O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
