Master Surname Index



John Simmons

Ancestry of
John Simmons

Founder of Simmons University`

    John Simmons

    View famous kin of John Simmons

    • 1st Generation
    • Ahnentafel No:
    • 1 
    • Birth Date:
    • 30 Oct 1796 
    • Birth Location:
    • Little Compton, Newport, Rhode Island 
    • Christening Date:
    •  
    • Christening Location:
    •  
    • Death Date:
    • 29 Aug 1870 
    • Death Location:
    •  
    • Burial Date:
    •  
    • Burial Location:
    • Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts 
    • Notes: 

    • Founder of Simmons College (now Simmons University)

      Who was John Simmons?

      John Simmons was a successful Boston clothing manufacturer and philanthropist, best known as the founder of Simmons College (now Simmons University), one of the earliest higher education institutions in the U.S. specifically designed to prepare women for independent livelihoods. Born in Little Compton, Rhode Island, Simmons made his fortune in ready-made clothing, serving the needs of a growing American middle class and military contracts during the Civil War.

      Believing strongly in the value of practical education, Simmons included a bequest in his will to establish a school where women could receive rigorous academic training along with preparation for professional careers. Though Simmons died before seeing the college realized, his vision was fulfilled when Simmons College opened in 1899.

      The school quickly became a leader in women’s education, offering programs in nursing, social work, library science, and business—fields traditionally closed to women at the time. Today, Simmons University continues to honor his legacy with a commitment to experiential learning and social responsibility.

      John Simmons’s foresight in linking education with career preparation helped pave the way for women’s advancement in the American workforce.

  • Marriages for John Simmons

    • Spouse:
    • Ann Small
    • Marriage Date:
    • 29 Oct 1818
    • Marriage Location:
    • Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts

Scroll down to see sources.

  • Sources for John Simmons

    • 2 Rhode Island: Vital Records, 1636-1850, Newport Co., Vol. 4, p. 6-166, Birth record for John Simmons.
    • 3 Rowe, Henry S., The Ancestry of John Simmons: Founder of Simmons College, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Riverside Press (1933), 42, 47-48.