Phoebe Hearst

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Phoebe Apperson Hearst (1842-1919) was born in Franklin County, Missouri, United States. At the age of 19, she married George Hearst, who later became a U.S. Senator. Soon after their marriage the couple moved to San Francisco, California, where Phoebe gave birth to their only child, William Randolph Hearst, in 1863.

A major benefactor of the University of California, Berkeley in 1897, she became the first woman Regent of the University of California, serving on the board from 1897 until her death. Also in 1897, she contributed to the establishment of the National Congress of Mothers, which evolved eventually into the National Parent-Teacher Association. In 1900, she co-founded the National Cathedral School in Washington, DC.

Mrs. Hearst was a member of the Bahá'í Faith. She briefly travelled to Akko and Haifa in Israel on pilgrimage, arriving on December 10, 1898. She later wrote, "Those three days were the most memorable days of my life" (Effendi, 1974).

She died at her home in Pleasanton, California on April 13, 1919, during the worldwide influenza epidemic of 1918-19, and was buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, Colma, San Mateo County, California.