Permeal J. French

Permeal J. French was born in Idaho City, Idaho, in 1867, the daughter of Richard G. French and Ann Lange. [1] [2]

In 1887, she graduated from the College of Notre Dame in San Francisco.[3]

In 1921, she was granted an honorary degree in Master of Arts by the George Washington University. [4]

Permeal J. French was Dean of Women at University of Idaho. During her time as dean, she was responsible for building the student union, and establishing the women's residence halls.[3] After thirty years of active service she was named dean of women emeritus. She retired in 1936. The Permeal J. French House, a dormitory, was dedicated in 1954 on the campus at Moscow, Idaho. [1] [5]

In 1898, she won the election for Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction,[6] becoming the first woman to be elected to state-wide office in Idaho, just two years after women received the right to vote in Idaho.[7] She was Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1899 to 1903; at the time it was a novelty for women to hold such offices. [1] [8] [9]

She was member of the American Association of University Women and Pi Lambda Theta. [1]

Permeal J. French lived for a time at San Francisco, California. [1]

She died on October 10, 1954, in Seattle, Washington, and is buried at Hailey Cemetery, Hailey, Idaho. [2]