Wiley, Autrey Nell, 1901-1990

Autrey Nell Wiley was born on May 27, 1901, in Saint Jo, Texas. Her father, James Robert Wiley, was an attorney with an extensive career in law and the Texas legislature. Julia Carolyn Wiley, Autrey's mother, came to Texas from Illinois. Julia was a housewife and apparently suffered from poor health. She passed away in December of 1943. Autrey was the eldest of two girls. Her sister, Margaret, taught English at the University of Texas at Arlington .

Autrey entered the College of Industrial Arts (CIA), in Denton, Texas, and earned a B.A. in English and French. She states, "I received the varied training of my college from 'prep' days through four years of standard college work: art, music, physical education, manual arts, physics, household physics, chemistry, history, Latin, French, journalism, educational methods, practice teaching, philosophy, and English" (Wiley, "Family and Affiliations"). She graduated from CIA in 1922, received her M.A. degree from Columbia University, New York, in 1924, and earned her Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin in 1931.

Scholar, researcher, and teacher, Wiley excelled in promoting the teaching and studying of English. Her emphasis was seventeenth century English Literature. The Margaret E. Maltby Fellowship from the American Association of University Women, 1930-1931, supplied Wiley with the financial means to do research in English Literature in libraries at the University of Texas, Columbia, Harvard, Yale, the New York Public Library, the Boston Public Library, and the Library of Congress. For 1932-1933, the American Council of Learned Societies awarded Willey a post-doctoral fellowship for research in the British Museum in London, England, the Bodleian Library, and other libraries in England and Scotland.

This led her to the eventual publication of her book entitled Rare Prologues and Epilogues, 1642-1700 . In the actual writing of the book, Wiley undertook detailed research and searched for a publisher. During the London blitz of World War II, her publishing house was bombed. Wiley was also very active in the promotion of the book in both England and America. This was to be the first of many publications for Wiley, who continued to publish articles in a multitude of journals including American Literature, Modern Language Notes, Theatre Annual, and the Literary Supplement of the London Times.

Wiley devoted her life to teaching English at the Texas State College for Women, now Texas Woman's University. Her tenure ran from 1922 to her retirement in 1971. Although Wiley considered other positions across the country, she remained at TWU, running for President of Texas Woman's University in 1950. Her father and sister rallied to the cause, petitioning many individuals for support on Wiley's behalf. The regents selected Dr. John A. Guinn in her stead. In 1958, Wiley was one of 28 English professors from across the nation to attend a national study in New York City on "English Programs in American Schools." She was the only representative from Texas.

Wiley became chair of the English program at TWU in 1947 and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1960. In 1963, Wiley was also given the coveted Minnie Piper Stevens Foundation Professorship Award for meritorious teaching. TWU also honored Wiley with the Distinguished Alumnae Award in 1969, the first year TWU gave the award. She was active in a multitude of organizations, holding many executive offices, and spoke extensively at AAUW chapters and for radio programs. Her opportunities to study abroad provided her with an extensive network of colleagues with whom Wiley stayed in constant contact.

Wiley loved the study of English and did not hesitate to question the role of women in her studies. "Was there ever a man who found his freedom as a literary artist by assuming the personality of a woman?" (Wiley, "Women and Books") "Yes. Women write so much like men that they have been mistaken for men" (Wiley, "Seeing Ourselves in Books About Women). Her adamant dedication to scholarly inquiry was consistent throughout her career and life because it was her life. She died May 28, 1990, at the age of 89.

References

Autrey Nell Wiley Papers, MSS 123, Texas Woman's University

Autrey Nell Wiley Papers, "Family and Affiliations," 1950, Biographical and Family History, Vitaes, MSS 123, Box 13, Fld. 8, Texas Woman's University

Autrey Nell Wiley Papers, "Women and Books," 1953, Speeches, MSS 123, Box 28, Fld. 16, Texas Woman's University

Autrey Nell Wiley Papers, "Seeing Ourselves in Books About Women," n.d., Speeches, MSS 123, Box 28, Fld. 17, Texas Woman's University

From the guide to the Autrey Nell Wiley Papers MSS 123., 1922-1977, (Texas Woman's University, the Woman's Collection)