The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
1865-1933
American engineer and businesswoman who became the first female president of a United States bank, as well as the first woman to join the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Kate Gleason was born in Rochester, New York. At the age of 12, she began working in her father's machine-tool factory. In 1884, she was admitted to Cornell University, where she studied mechanical arts. After graduation, she helped her father create a machine that beveled (or cut at an angle other than 90 degrees) gears quickly and cheaply. American industrialist Henry Ford (1863-1947) called the invention "the most remarkable work ever done by a woman." From 1890-1901 she served as secretary-treasurer of her father's company, helping make Gleason Works a leading producer of gear-cutting machinery. In 1913, Gleason went out on her own and four years later became the first woman president of Rochester's First National Bank. In 1918, she also became the first woman elected to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.