Ruth Hendry

Ruth Hendry is the first woman to have been Senior Wrangler at the University of Cambridge, in 1992.

Life

Hendry was a second-generation student at Queens' College, Cambridge. Her father, Tom, was the son of a woman who 'wasn't even sure where Cambridge was'. Ruth's sisters followed her to Cambridge, Helen reading zoology at St John's and Kate graduating top of her year in geology, also at Queens'. (Kate is now chemical honorary professor at the University of Bristol and an oceanographer and marine biogeochemist in the Polar Oceans Team of the British Antarctic Survey.) In 1992 Ruth Hendry was awarded a first, with 541 marks and 25 α's (320 marks and 14 α's being the minimum for a first). Hendry succeeded Philippa Fawcett at the top of the Mathematical Tripos, but because women were disqualified from academic qualifications at Cambridge until 1948, Fawcett was not given the title Senior Wrangler; it took a further century for a woman to become Senior Wrangler. Queens' College has a mathematics prize in Hendry's honour.

Hendry progressed to a PhD at Warwick, but became disillusioned with academia, moved to Wales and runs a notary practice. She is quoted to have said, 'I sometimes think when I read my name on Wikipedia's Senior Wrangler page – is that really me?'