Bertha Pratt King

Wabash Valley profiles : a series of tributes to hometown heroes who have made a difference

Description:	One typed page including photograph; biography of Bertha Pratt King, suffragist and wife of Max Ehrmann. WABASHP R OFIA hometown h heroes who h difference. A seriies of ttributes tto h f ib t t h have made a diff dVALLEYL E SBertha Pratt Kingnative of Little Falls, N.Y., Bertha Pratt King made a tremendous impact on the communitys quality of life soon after locating in Terre Haute during 1904. Born Feb. 5, 1879, Bertha was the oldest child of Charles P. and Sarah (Richmond) King, owners of Saxony Mill of Little Falls. She had a younger brother Seth. Her father and paternal grandfather, Amos King, acquired the knitting firm in 1872. It flourished. Soon after Amos died in 1891, Charles divided $9,000 among the families of employees who had worked at Saxony Mill during the Kings ownerPhoto courtesy of Vigo County ship. Charles was elected village president of Little Historical Society Falls in 1893 and, when the community became a city the following year, he became its first mayor. Re-elected for two one-year terms, he served through 1896. Meanwhile, Bertha matriculated to prestigious Smith College of Northampton, Mass., earning a degree in 1901, the year Saxony Mill was sold to Carl J. Lundstrom. Fred B. Smith, president and general manager of Merchants Distilling Co., and his wife Sallie lured King to Terre Haute to tutor their son Robert and niece Rachel Larsh. In 1905 Bertha united with Mary Sinclair Crawford to found a private day school at 681 Oak St., initially known as King-Crawford Classical School. When Crawford relocated to California in 1916, the name was changed to King Classical School. Meanwhile, Bertha became a student of economic and sociological issues and a spellbinding orator. An active suffragette with a stimulating personality, she addressed area schools and clubs during the winter. During summers between 1912 and 1916, she presented lectures throughout the east on behalf of the Redpath Chautauqua Bureau. Most of her discourses addressed challenges facing the modern woman. From her studies, she authored The Worth of a Girl, published in 1916 by Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. She resumed lecturing during the summers of 1919 and 1920 throughout Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin. In 1920 Bertha relocated King Classical School to 903 S. Sixth St. The high school was restricted to girls but grade school admission was available to both sexes. Enrollment reached its peak in 1928 with 92 students and ten teachers. The school remained in the same location until it closed in late May 1945. On June 3, 1945, King married poet and philosopher Max Ehrmann, her long-time companion. The Ehrmanns resided at 524 S. Sixth St. and Bertha continued to live there after Max died on Sept. 9, 1945. After Ehrmanns death, Bertha was active in the Womans Department Club of Terre Haute, editing a column in its monthly bulletin. She also devoted considerable time to editing and publishing her husbands many works, including The Journal of Max Ehrmann. She also wrote Max Ehrmann: A Poets Life, a biography. Bertha K. Ehrmann died at St. Anthonys Hospital on Jan. 16, 1962, about three weeks before her 82nd birthday.AAlways Close to HomeMEMBER FDICTerre Haute 238-6000 Brazil 443-4481 Rockville 765-569-3171 Sullivan 268-3331 Clinton 832-3504 Marshall, Illinois 217-826-6311 ... and other cities and towns near you. Also on the web at www.first-online.com
Origin:	2006-03-24
Created By:	McCormick, Mike
Contributor(s):	Photo courtesy of Vigo County Historical Society
Publisher:	Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Source:	http://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/vchs/id/1031
Collection:	Vigo County Historical Society
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/
Copyright:	Copyright Undetermined
Subjects:	King, Bertha Pratt, 1879-1962 Suffragists Women Biographers People Education

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