Catharine Merrill | |
|---|---|
 1898 portrait by T. C. Steele | |
| Born | January 24, 1824 |
| Died | May 30, 1900 (aged 76) |
| Resting place | Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupation(s) | Educator, writer, and American Civil War nurse |
| Employer | Butler University (1869–83) |
| Notable work | The Soldier of Indiana in the War for the Union (1866, 1869) |
| Parent(s) | Samuel and Lydia Jane (Anderson) Merrill |
Catharine Merrill (January 24, 1824 – May 30, 1900) was an American educator, writer, and American Civil War nurse from Indiana who became the second female university professor in the United States. She is best remembered as a talented educator and admired for her modesty and kindness. In 1869 Merrill accepted the appointment as the first Demia Butler Chair of English Literature at North Western Christian University, now known as Butler University, and began her fourteen-year career as a university professor during the 1869–70 academic year. Merrill resigned the professorship in 1883, but continued to offer private instruction at her home until shortly before her death. In addition to becoming a teacher, Merrill was a published author, although it was not her primary goal. Articles describing her travels in Europe from 1859 to 1861 were published in Indiana newspapers. She also anonymously wrote The Soldier of Indiana in the War for the Union (1866, 1869). The Man Shakespeare and Other Essays (1902) was published posthumously. Merrill is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
Well known and respected in academia and Indianapolis's social circles, Merrill was active in civic groups. She cofounded the Indianapolis Home for Friendless Women in 1867 and served on its board. The Catharine Merrill Club, an Indianapolis literary organization established in 1885, was named in her honor; Indianapolis Public Schools renamed Public School Number 25 the Catharine Merrill School in 1900; and Merrill's friends and former students endowed Butler University's Catharine Merrill Chair of English in 1907 (the endowment lapsed in 1930).