Jessie A. and Werrett Wallace (W.W.) Charters were both pioneers in the field of adult education. Jessie Charters was born in Texas, September 23, 1880. Her family moved to Seattle, Washington in 1890. She obtained both a bachelor's (1899) and masters degree (1901) from the University of Washington. She received a PhD in Psychology in 1904 from the University of Chicago, where she studied philosophy under John Dewey and James R. Angell. Mrs. Charters was the first female on the west coast to receive a Ph D., and also to receive the highest honors ever for a woman. Jessie Charters was instrumental in the founding of Pi Lambda Theta educational fraternity. Dr. Charters held positions at Carnegie Institute of Technology, the University of Chicago and Ohio State University. Her primary area of interest was parental education and working with girls and women. Mrs. Charters died in 1971.
Werrett Wallace Charters was born October 24, 1875 in Hartford, Ontario. He received degrees from MacMaster (1896), Ontario Normal School (1899) and the University of Toronto (1901). In 1904 he received a PhD at the University of Chicago. Dr. Charters held positions at the University of Missouri, Carnegie Institute of Technology, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Illinois. He retired from Ohio State University in 1942 at age 66. Upon his retirement he became Director of Research at Stephens College in Colombia Missouri. Mr. Charters was the founding editor of the Journal of Higher Education . Mr. Charters' area of particular interest was the development of curriculum from nursery school through graduate level and professional development. Dr. Charters died March 8, 1952.
From the guide to the Jessie A. and W. W. Charters Papers, 1922-1953, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)
