Entity | Helen P. Mudgett

Helen Parker Mudgett was born in New Hampshire, graduated from Wellesley College in 1921, and came to the University of Minnesota, where she received her master's degree in history in 1923. She taught in the History Dept. of the General Extension Division of the University of Minnesota. Professor Mudgett took an intense interest in civil and human rights issues of the 1940s and 1950s, but is best remembered for her study and documentation of Chippewa Indian culture.

From the description of Helen Parker Mudgett papers, 1945-1964. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 63291886

Helen Parker Mudgett, B.A. (1921) Wellesley College, M.A. (1923) University of Minnesota. Associate professor of history in the general extension division at the University of Minnesota (1928-1962). Known for her study of the Ojibwa Indians.

Helen Parker Mudgett was born in Lisbon, New Hampshire on March 15, 1900. She received a BA from Wellesley College in 1921 and a Master's degree in history from the University of Minnesota in 1923. She also studied at the University of London and the London School of Economics, afterward returning to the University of Minnesota where she taught in the history department. She also taught at the Summit School for Girls and at Luther College, both in St. Paul. In 1928 she became an instructor in economic history, European civilization and current events in the University's General Extension Division. During World War II, she became editor of the University's widely distributed Reading for the Wartime bulletins. She was also one of the founders of the St. Paul Council of Human Relations, and subsequently served as a board member.

In 1944 she wrote Democracy for All, a study guide on racial and cultural groups and our concepts, laws, and policies for human rights. In 1950-1953 she broadcast a series of talks in this field over the University radio station KUOM, called America Bound . Mudgett's interest in American Indians led her to a long and intense study of the Ojibway and to a history which she had almost completed at the time of her death. She served as the chief coordinator of the series of conferences or seminars on Indian affairs conducted at the Center for Continuation Study from 1953-1955.

She was prominent in the educational movement proceeding the adoption of fair employment legislation in the state. She also served for a time as the educational consultant in economics and human relations for the Montana Farmers' Union and the National Farmers' Union. Among her literary accomplishments was a historical novel, The Seas Stand Watch, portraying the great era of New England's trade and the shift to manufacturing. Helen Mudgett died on September 11, 1962, at the age of 62.

From the guide to the Helen Parker Mudgett papers, 1945-1964, (University of Minnesota Libraries. University of Minnesota Archives [uarc])