Bertha Lamme Feicht
A quiet pioneer who, in 1893, shattered a glass ceiling by becoming the first woman to earn an engineering degree from Ohio State University.
1869–1943 (age 74)·20th-century American engineer·Birthday: December 16·The Gilded Age
Biography
In an era when a woman's place was rigidly defined, Bertha Lamme set her sights on the mechanical world. Entering Ohio State University, she immersed herself in a field dominated entirely by men, driven by an intellect fascinated by machinery and calculation. Her 1893 graduation in mechanical engineering wasn't just a personal triumph; it was a historic crack in a formidable barrier, making her the first American woman to graduate in a core engineering discipline beyond civil engineering. She joined Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, where she applied her skills to designing electrical motors and generators. After marrying a fellow engineer, Russell Feicht, she stepped away from professional work, a common practice of the time, but her legacy was already cemented. Bertha Lamme Feicht paved a narrow, crucial path for the generations of women in STEM who would follow.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Bertha was born in 1869, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bertha Was Born
The biggest hits of 1869
Bertha's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1869Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1874Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1882Became a teenager
First electrical power plant opens in New York
President: Chester A. Arthur
1885Could drive
Karl Benz builds the first gasoline-powered automobile
President: Grover Cleveland
1887Could vote
President: Grover Cleveland
1890Turned 21
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1899Turned 30
President: William McKinley
1909Turned 40
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1919Turned 50
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1929Turned 60
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1939Turned 70
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1943Died at 74
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
Key Achievements
- Became the first woman to receive an engineering degree from Ohio State University in 1893.
- Recognized as the first American woman to graduate in a main engineering discipline other than civil engineering.
- Worked as an engineer for Westinghouse Electric, contributing to the design of electrical equipment.
Did You Know?
Her brother, Benjamin G. Lamme, was also a prominent electrical engineer who became chief engineer at Westinghouse.
The scholarship she established at Ohio State University continues to support female engineering students.
She was a member of the sorority Sigma Xi, a scientific research honor society.
“I solved the equations for the steam engine's valve gear because it needed solving.”
