Katharine Fisher Schwab
Katharine Fisher Schwab | |
|---|---|
 Katharine Fisher Schwab, from the 1919 yearbook of Vassar College | |
| Born | September 23, 1898 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | November 19, 1990 (age 92) Danbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Navy officer, clubwoman |
| Father | John Christopher Schwab |
| Relatives | Gustav Schwab (great-grandfather) |
Katharine Fisher Schwab (September 23, 1898 – November 19, 1990) was a U.S. Navy officer. She was "one of the first women to become an officer in the Navy at the outset of World War II".[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Schwab was born in New Haven, Connecticut, the daughter of John Christopher Schwab and Edith Aurelia Fisher Schwab. Her father was a noted librarian and historian based at Yale University,[2] and her great-grandfather was German poet Gustav Schwab.[3] Her maternal grandfather was Samuel Sparks Fisher, who was appointed U.S. Commissioner of Patents in 1869.[4][5] She graduated from Vassar College in 1919.[6] She served on the Vassar alumnae board of directors,[7] and was elected chairman of the alumnae board in 1936.[8][9]
Career
[edit]Schwab had a sculpture studio in New York City as a young woman, and traveled, including three months in the American West in 1929, working on a ranch, hiking, and hunting.[10] She enlisted in the WAVES in 1942.[11] She was in the first class of officer candidates, and was commissioned as a lieutenant. She held the rank of lieutenant commander when she mustered out in 1945.[1]
After the war, she was president of the Long Ridge Woman's Club and Library,[12][13] and vice-president of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut.[14][15][16] In 1959 she took a three-month cruise that visited Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Thailand, Bali, and Hong Kong.[17] In 1964 she spent six weeks traveling in Europe.[18] She was the only female member appointed to the Danbury Zoning Commission, serving on the commission from 1957 to 1961.[19][20]
Personal life
[edit]Schwab died in 1990, at the age of 92, in Danbury, Connecticut.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Katharine F. Schwab, Navy Officer, 92". The New York Times. 1990-11-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2025-05-31. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
- ^ "John Christopher Schwab". HET: The History of Economic Thought. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
- ^ John Christopher Schwab Family Papers (MS 434) Archived 2025-05-31 at the Wayback Machine, Yale University Library.
- ^ "Samuel Sparks Fisher". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Archived from the original on 2025-05-31. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
- ^ Carhart, Lucy Ann Morris; Nelson, Charles Alexander (1911-01-01). Genealogy of the Morris family : descendants of Thomas Morris of Connecticut. Dalcassian Publishing Company. p. 152.
- ^ Vassar College, The Vassarion (1919 yearbook): 91. via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Board of Directors of the Associate Alumnae". Vassar Quarterly. 26 (2). December 1, 1940 – via Vassar Newspaper & Magazine Archive.
- ^ "Alumnae Notes". The Vassar Miscellany News. April 8, 1936. p. 5 – via Hudson River Valley Heritage Historical Newspapers.
- ^ "Vassar Alumnae Plan for June 10 Reunion". Poughkeepsie Eagle-News. 1938-04-11. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Contemporary Notes: 1919". Vassar Quarterly. 14 (4): 299. November 1, 1929 – via Vassar Newspaper & Magazine Archive.
- ^ "Personal mention". Poughkeepsie Journal. 1942-12-02. p. 11. Archived from the original on 2025-05-31. Retrieved 2025-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Katharine Schwab Elected President of Woman's Club". The Bridgeport Post. 1958-12-21. p. 33. Archived from the original on 2025-05-31. Retrieved 2025-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Board Reelects Miss K. F. Schwab". The Bridgeport Post. 1963-11-22. p. 39. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
- ^ "Danbury Woman Named to Voters League Post". Hartford Courant. 1954-09-23. p. 22. Retrieved 2025-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "LWV Appoints". The Bridgeport Post. 1962-07-08. p. 90. Archived from the original on 2025-05-31. Retrieved 2025-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "State Officer Speaks at League Meeting". The Day. 1954-12-07. p. 15. Retrieved 2025-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Danbury Personals". The Bridgeport Post. 1959-05-03. p. 29. Retrieved 2025-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Returns from Europe". The Bridgeport Post. 1964-02-27. p. 48. Archived from the original on 2025-05-31. Retrieved 2025-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Danbury Zone, Plan Boards to Organize". The Bridgeport Post. 1957-10-01. p. 40. Archived from the original on 2025-05-31. Retrieved 2025-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Miss Schwab Quits Danbury Zone Board". The Bridgeport Post. 1961-08-24. p. 14. Retrieved 2025-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.