Notable people · Science · Engineer
Bertha Lamme
Clark County native who graduated from Ohio State in 1893 with a mechanical engineering degree (electrical specialty). Westinghouse hired her as its first female engineer; she left in 1905 when she married her supervisor Russell Feicht.
At a glance
- Born
- 1869-12-16
- Died
- 1943-11-20
- Education
- Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, to 1893, Mechanical engineering, electrical specialty
- Olive Branch High School, Clark County, OH, to 1889
- Known as
- Science, Engineer
- Organizations
- Westinghouse Electric, Ohio State University
Life story
Bertha Lamme was born in Bethel Township near Springfield in 1869 and finished Olive Branch High School in 1889. Her brother Benjamin had already gone to Ohio State, and she followed.
She graduated in 1893 with a mechanical engineering degree, electrical specialty. Her thesis analyzed tests of a Westinghouse railway generator, and the student paper reported applause when she got her degree.
Westinghouse hired her as its first female engineer. She worked there until she married her supervisor, Russell Feicht, on December 14, 1905.
They had one daughter, Florence, a physicist. Bertha died in Pittsburgh in 1943 and is buried at Homewood Cemetery. A scholarship from Westinghouse and the Society of Women Engineers has carried her name since 1973.
Timeline
- 1869-12-16: Born in Bethel Township near Springfield (Springfield, OH) source
- 1889: Graduates Olive Branch High School (Clark County, OH) source
- 1893: Graduates Ohio State University in mechanical engineering (Columbus, OH) source
- 1893: Hired by Westinghouse as first female engineer (Pittsburgh, PA) source
- 1905-12-14: Marries Russell S. Feicht and leaves Westinghouse (Pittsburgh, PA) source
- 1910: Daughter Florence born (Pittsburgh, PA) source
- 1943-11-20: Dies in Pittsburgh; buried at Homewood Cemetery (Pittsburgh, PA) source
What Bertha is known for
- 1893 Ohio State graduate in mechanical engineering (electrical specialty)
- First woman engineer hired by Westinghouse (per Wikipedia)
- Thesis: An Analysis of Tests of a Westinghouse Railway Generator, 1893
Honors and things named for them
- Bertha Lamme scholarship (Westinghouse Educational Foundation and Society of Women Engineers, 1973)
Family
- brother: Benjamin G. Lamme
- husband: Russell S. Feicht
- daughter: Florence Feicht
Ohio places
Where Bertha Lamme was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: Bethel Township (Springfield area), Clark County ZIP 45502 · Bethel Township · Clark County
- School: Columbus (Ohio State University), Franklin County ZIP 43210 · Columbus · Franklin County
Myths and corrections
- Whether she was the first woman in the nation to earn a mechanical engineering degree is contested. Wikipedia calls her the first woman with an engineering degree from Ohio State and the first American woman in a main engineering field other than civil. Ohio State's own page is inconsistent: its web address says nation's first, while its text calls her the second woman in the United States to earn an engineering degree.
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Bertha Lamme Feicht (Wikipedia) born 1869-12-16 Bethel Township OH; died 1943-11-20 Pittsburgh; 1893 OSU degree; first woman engineering degree at OSU; Westinghouse first female engineer
- Ohio State College of Engineering: Bertha Lamme 1893 OSU degree; native of Springfield; Westinghouse motor designer 12 years; died November 1943 Pittsburgh