Mary Whiton Calkins (; 30 March 1863 – 26 February 1930) was an American philosopher and psychologist, whose work informed theory and research of memory, dreams and the self. In 1903, Calkins was the twelfth in a listing of fifty psychologists with the most merit, chosen by her peers. Calkins was refused a Ph.D. by Harvard University because of her gender. Calkins is a key figure in the history of women psychologists. At Wellesley College, Calkins established the first psychological laboratory for women. She was the first woman to complete the requirements for a doctoral degree in psychology with the unanimous support of the Harvard University psychology faculty, although the university refused to bestow it on the grounds that Harvard did not accept women. She later became president of the American Psychological Association and the American Philosophical Association, and was the first woman to be president of both. She taught psychology and philosophy at Wellesley College for four decades, and conducted research there and at Harvard University for the majority of that time. Background Mary Whiton Calkins was born on March 30, 1863, in Hartford, Connecticut. She was the eldest of eight children. Her parents were Wolcott and Charlotte Whiton Calkins. Mary was close with her family. In 1880, she moved to Newton, Massachusetts with her family to begin her education and remained there for the rest of her life. Her family moved from New York to Massachusetts because her father, who was a Presbyterian minister, got a new job there. Since Mary's father took an active role in overseeing his children's education and planned her studies, she was able to enroll in college when she graduated high school. In 1882, Calkins entered Smith College as a sophomore. She studied there for a year. Following the death of her sister in 1883, she took a year off from college and learned by herself. While taking time off from school, Calkins received private tutoring lessons in Greece. During this year, she also tutored two of her brothers. She returned to Smith College in 1884 to graduate with a degree in classics and philosophy. Upon graduation, Calkins and her family took an eighteen-month trip to Europe, and she was able to explore Leipzig, Italy, and Greece. As she was majoring in classics, Calkins took advantage of the opportunities and spent several months travelling and studying modern Greek and classics. When she returned