Sara Jane Woodson Early: 1st African American Female College Professor

Written by

Enid Gaddis

Published on

September 18, 2015
BlogAME Church, Saraha Jane Woodson Early, Wilberforce Univeristy

Black History: Special Delivery!!

Sarah Jane Woodson Early
Sarah Jane Woodson Early

Sarah Jane Early Woodson (1825 – 1907) was the first African American woman to be a college professor. She was a professor at Wilberforce University in Ohio. Born in Chillicothe, OH, she was heavily involved with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) as well as the feminist and temperance movements. In 1856 she graduated from Oberlin College with an L.B. degree.  In 1868, at the age of 42 she married Rev. Jordan Early, a pioneer in the AME church movement. She assisted him in ministry while continuing her role as an educator throughout the South.  Woodson authored a book about her husbands life in 1894. She died in 1907.