Ella Eaton Kellogg

The years was 1872 when Ella Eaton Kellogg made history at Alfred University. At just sixteen years old, she became the youngest person to ever receive her bachelor’s degree. In 1885, she was awarded a Master of Arts degree. Ella had a lifetime of ground-breaking and selfless work ahead of her.

After graduation, she traveled to Battle Creek, MI, to visit her aunt. During her trip, there was an outbreak of the typhoid fever epidemic and, taking it upon herself, Ella stayed to help those who were suffering. While tending to the ill, she met Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, who would later become her husband and the owner of the Kellogg’s Company.

Ella’s experience in the Battle Creek Sanitarium led her to create the field of dietetics. In her lifetime, she became nationally recognized as a dietician, organized the first Health Institute, and became the National Superintendent of the Health and Social Purity Departments of the National W.C.T.U. Additionally, she managed her household, homeschooled her children, and cared for many orphans from the Haskell Home for Orphans (which she supervised).

Ella authored three books during her lifetime. Her efforts made tremendous impacts on the field of home economics, dietetics, and children’s rights. In 1999, she was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. Her incredible devotion to others is remembered today.