For a woman to make a name for herself during the era of Suzan Rose Benedict, wasn't easy. To gain notoriety for mathematics as a woman, even more difficult but Benedict was able to do it.

Born in Ohio in 1873, Suzan Rose Benedict was the daughter of David and Harriet Benedict. She went to Smith College where she earned her B.A. in chemistry but minored in physics, mathematics and German. After college, she began to teach at a Norwalk High School and sell real estate on the side.

Suzan Rose Benedict decided to pursue her education and entered Columbia University. She earned her master's degree in 1906 studying the history of mathematics. She immediately returned to Smith College where she taught for the duration of her professional career.

Suzan Rose Benedict was an over-achiever. She attended the University of Michigan where she became the first woman at the university to earn a mathematics Ph.D. While working at Smith College, Benedict continued her own mathematical pursuits. Her papers were widely read on various mathematical topics and she was published in the Mathematics Teacher among other publications.

1921 brought with it a professional promotion and she became a full professor at Smith College. Benedict retired in February of 1942. She died that same year.