Mary Wager Fisher

Mary Wager Fisher was regarded as one of the most distinguished and exalted Victorian journalists of her time. She authored a multitude of poems, stories, and articles, and her defense of medicine as a profession for women garnered her national fame. She was the first woman Washington correspondent of the New York Herald and was additionally on the staff of numerous other popular newspapers. Her work was published abroad in London and Paris.

At heart, she was a social reformer; her political articles confronted domestic, political, and economic issues in America with vigor and passion. She supported the feminine movement, particularly women’s suffrage, and was also an advocate for other social causes such as freeman’s education. It’s believed that many of Mary’s social justice ideals were influenced by her alma mater.

A member of the Alfred University Class of 1863, her legend is survived by the Mary Wager Fisher Literacy Prize at Alfred University which is annually awarded to one or more students who excel in literary composition.