21 Facts About Ruth Underhill

Ruth Murray Underhill was an American anthropologist.

Ruth Underhill was born in Ossining-on-the-Hudson, New York, and attended Vassar College, graduating in 1905 with a degree in Language and Literature.

Ruth Underhill's marriage ended in 1929, and by 1930, she decided to go back to school to learn more about human behavior.

Ruth Underhill wrote numerous books on Native American tribes and helped to dispel many myths about their cultures.

Ruth Underhill's sister Elizabeth was a suffragist, law school graduate and one of the first female bank directors, while her brother Robert was a professor at Harvard and mountaineer.

In 1919, Ruth Underhill married Charles Cecil Crawford and they had 2 children and they divorced amicably in 1929.

Ruth Underhill died in Denver, Colorado, on August 15,1984, at age 100.

Ruth Underhill attended a Bryn Mawr College preparatory school before instead entering Vassar College in 1901.

Ruth Underhill became fluent in German, French, Italian, and Spanish.

Ruth Underhill decided to go back to school after her divorce at age 46.

Ruth Underhill received research funding from the Columbia University Social Science and Humanities Council.

Ruth Underhill then took a social worker position with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children working with Italian cases.

Also after Vasser, Ruth Underhill began to write for newspapers and magazines.

Ruth Underhill later wrote a book titled Autobiography of a Papago Woman, which chronicled the life of Maria Chona, an elderly member of the Tohono O'odham Nation.

Ruth Underhill served as Assistant Supervisor of Indian Education from 1934 to 1942 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, then Supervisor from 1942 to 1948 in Denver, Colorado.

Ruth Underhill assisted in negotiations between the BIA and Native American groups.

In 1949, Ruth Underhill accepted a position as Professor of Anthropology with the University of Denver and held the position for four years.

Ruth Underhill taught at New York State Teachers College in New Paltz and Colorado Women's College.

In 1979, Ruth Underhill was honored by the Tohono O'odham Nation, for her work in preserving their past.

Ruth Underhill was honored by the Gila River Reservation O'odhams in 1980.

Ruth Underhill received an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Denver in 1962 and honorary Doctor of Science degree from University of Colorado in 1965.