Mina miller edison biography wikipedia

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Indeed, buried within Mina’s more conservative statements were two practical—but radical—suggestions. She rejected the term “housewife.” “As head of the house,” Mina asserted, “woman occupies a most important and enviable position. Edison thought the big estate was “too nice for me, but not nice enough for my little wife.”

The couple moved in after their February wedding when Mina was just twenty.

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She Became Mom to Three Kids Overnight

Twenty-year-old Mina joined an instant family, becoming stepmom to Edison’s three children: Marion (12), Thomas Jr.

(10), and William Leslie (8).

Things weren’t easy. The first meeting occurred at Seminole Lodge, and Mina urged that the group concentrate on specific beautification projects that involved improving roads and gardens throughout the city. Mina had to manage the public entertainments peculiar to technological royalty, including putting up with Henry Ford and panicking when the king of Siam asked for iced tea.

Her influence and connections with prominent figures helped to raise awareness for women’s issues and advance the cause of gender equality.

After Thomas Edison’s death in 1931, Mina continued to preserve his legacy and promote his inventions. Thomas’ first wife, Mary, had died the previous year, and he had three children at home.

At the graduation ceremony, she delivered an essay titled “Among the Foundations,” a reference to the fundamentals of a good life. Mina modeled her own career on this blend of professionalism, study and intense personal investment.

Mina was always thinking about the home’s social importance, and she wielded her considerable resources to meet every new crisis.

The home executive occupied a supervisory role like that of a factory foreman. They set a date for the wedding on February 24, 1886, just a year after they met. Marion and Mina clashed for decades.

Neither Thomas Jr. nor William Leslie wanted to follow their father’s science path, and both fought against Mina’s cultural influence at home.

None of Edison’s first three children went to college, partly because their self-taught father didn’t value school learning.

The supposedly protected home, however, was never static. He lives in the Valley of the Sun. Learn more about John on Muck Rack.

Mina remained active in the foundation’s activities and continued her work on various philanthropic and environmental projects until her own passing in 1947.

Miller Edison was a remarkable woman who contributed significantly to her community, environmental conservation, and the advancement of women’s rights.

Before they had been married a month, Thomas had Mina taking lab notes. This Garden club was a branch of the Women’s Community Club, which contained several sub-organizations that focused on music, fine art, house and garden.

mina miller edison biography wikipedia

Her father, Lewis Miller, was an inventor and prominent figure in 19th-century Methodist education reform. They introduced him to several suitable young women and one of them was 19-year-old Mina Miller. First, Mina argued that if a family only had enough money to send one child to college, it should be the daughter (the future home executive) and not the son.

Her enduring impact on society and her commitment to improving the lives of others are a testament to her strength, intelligence, and compassion. In 1928, she founded Fort Myers’ first community garden group, the Periwinkle Garden Club. Mina collected a bursting scrapbook of materials on how to contribute to the war effort through food preservation at home.