The Suffragette of Civil Engineering

Nora Stanton Blatch Barney (1883–1971)

Nora Stanton Blatch Barney came from a family of trailblazers. Her grandmother was Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Nora carried that fire into the world of construction. In 1905, she became the first woman to earn a degree in civil engineering from Cornell University.

Why She’s a Konstellation Icon:

• The Water Supply: She worked for the New York City Board of Water Supply. She was a key engineer on the Ashokan Reservoir and the Catskill Aqueduct projects.

• A Fight for Recognition: When the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) refused to give her full member status because she was a woman, she took them to court. She didn't win the legal battle then, but she was posthumously granted fellow status in 2015.

• The Construction Mindset: She spent her career proving that engineering and activism go hand-in-hand. She believed that building a better world required both technical skill and social progress.