Bryson, Gladys, 1894-1952

Gladys Eugenia Bryson was born in Carlisle, Kentucky on April 2, 1894. After receiving a B.A. from Georgetown College in Kentucky, Bryson obtained her M.A. in 1927 and her Ph.D. in 1930, both from the University of California at Berkeley. As the national secretary of the Y.W.C.A.'s student council, one of its national boards, Bryson served the organization from 1919-1925. For the next two years, she was a teaching fellow in the Department of Sociology and Social Institutions at Berkeley, as well as an active member of the Women's Faculty Club. In addition, Bryson was a Sterling Fellow at Yale University from 1927-1928, and from 1930-1931 she was head of residence at Berkeley's International House. In 1941, Bryson was a member of the U.S. Department's advisory committee on the adjustment of foreign students in the United States. Joining the Smith College faculty in 1931, Bryson served as both chairman of the Department of Sociology (starting in 1945) and as chairman of the Division of Social Sciences from 1948 until her death in 1952. During her employment at Smith, Bryson served on numerous committees and was the faculty resident of Lawrence House for many years. At the time of her death in 1952, Bryson was the Mary Huggins Gamble Professor of Sociology at Smith. Publishing many essays and books, Bryson authored one of her more well known works in 1945, titled: Man and Society: The Scottish Inquiry of the 18th Century . Upon the time of her death, she was working on a book regarding the foundations of American sociology. In addition to her numerous essays and books, Bryson contributed many articles to various encyclopedias and sociological journals. An internationally recognized sociologist and an active member of many sociological associations, Bryson was President of the Eastern Sociological Society from 1946 to 1947. Bryson died on December 18, 1952 in the college infirmary after a long illness.

From the guide to the Gladys Eugenia Bryson Papers RG 42., 1897-1953, (Smith College Archives)