1877: Miss E. J. Ellis of Wesleyan University, …

… Middletown, Conn., who declined the position of class poet because of the objections of the male members of the class, has just been awarded the prize of $100 for the best English essay. She has accepted a position as instructor in the female college at Wellesley, Mass., with a salary of $800 and board.”– From the Pittsburgh Daily Post, July 14, 1877.