Gertrude Mercer (McCurdy) Hubbard: A Remarkable Woman of Her Time
Gertrude Mercer McCurdy Hubbard was born on March 12, 1827 in New York City . She was the daughter of Robert Henry McCurdy, a prominent merchant and philanthropist, and Gertrude Mercer Lee McCurdy . She had two brothers, Theodore Frelinghuysen McCurdy and Robert Henry McCurdy Jr., who both became successful businessmen.
Gertrude married Gardiner Greene Hubbard on June 25, 1857 in New York City. Gardiner was a lawyer, financier and public servant who became the first president of the Bell Telephone Company and a founder of the National Geographic Society. He was also an advocate for education and welfare of deaf people, as his daughter Mabel was deaf since childhood.
Gertrude shared her husband’s interest in social causes and philanthropy. She was a trustee of the Clarke School for the Deaf in Northampton, Massachusetts, which was founded by her husband in 1867 as the first oral school for deaf children in America. She also supported various charitable organizations such as the Associated Charities of Washington D.C., the Children’s Hospital and the Home for Incurables.
Gertrude was also a woman of culture and refinement. She enjoyed music, art and literature. She hosted many distinguished guests at her home in Washington D.C., including Alexander Graham Bell, who married her daughter Mabel in 1877; Helen Keller, who learned to communicate with Mabel’s help; and President Grover Cleveland, who appointed Gardiner as a commissioner of education.
Gertrude died on October 20, 1909 at her home in Washington D.C. at the age of 82. She was buried at Rock Creek Cemetery alongside her husband who had died in 1897. She left behind a legacy of kindness, generosity and grace that touched many lives.
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