Choate, Caroline Sterling

Caroline Dutcher Sterling Choate (June 16, 1837 – November 12, 1929, generally styled Mrs. Joseph H. Choate) was an artist, educational reformer, suffragist, philanthropist and socialite. She was the wife of lawyer and U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Joseph Hodges Choate. As an advocate for women's education, Caroline Sterling Choate was one of the founders of the Association for Promoting the Higher Education of Women in New York in 1882. They petitioned Columbia University to admit women in 1883, but were refused on the grounds that women were not sufficiently prepared. In response, Caroline worked to establish a preparatory school for women, Brearley School, and then Barnard College for women. She was also involved in organizations for women artists, and she and her husband were instrumental in founding the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The family's estate, Naumkeag, is now a public museum and garden.