Meribeth Elliott Cameron (May 22 1905 – July 12 1997) was an American sinologist, historian of China, and academic administrator. She is most noted for her tenure as the acting president of Mount Holyoke College from 1968 to 1969 and for her scholarly contributions to the study of modern Chinese history.
Early life and education
Cameron was born in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada. She completed secondary education at Santa Monica High School in California in 1921. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University in 1925, followed by a Master of Arts from Stanford in 1926. Continuing her graduate work, she obtained a second M.A. in history from Radcliffe College in 1927 and returned to Stanford to complete a Ph.D. in History and Political Science in 1928. Her doctoral dissertation focused on “The Reform Movement in China, 1898‑1912.”
Academic career
After receiving her doctorate, Cameron taught at Reed College (1928‑1934) and at Flora Stone Mather College of Western Reserve University (1934‑1937). She served as dean and professor of history at Milwaukee‑Downer College from 1941 to 1948. In 1948 she joined Mount Holyoke College as academic dean and professor of Chinese history, a position she held until her retirement in 1970. Within Mount Holyoke, she also acted as dean and twice served as acting president, first briefly in 1954 and again in 1966, before her official acting presidency in 1968‑69.
Scholarly contributions
Cameron was a prolific author on Chinese modern history. She co‑edited the Far Eastern Quarterly (later The Journal of Asian Studies) and served as its book‑review editor from 1941 to 1951. Her notable publications include:
- The Reform Movement in China, 1893‑1912 (1931) – a monograph based on her dissertation.
- China, Japan and the Powers (1952) – a co‑authored study of East Asian international relations.
- The United States and Eastern Asia, a Study Guide (1950).
She also contributed to the reference work Eminent Chinese of the Ch’ing Period (1943).
Later life and legacy
Cameron retired from teaching in 1970 and remained a respected figure in the field of sinology until her death in South Hadley, Massachusetts, on July 12 1997, aged 92. Her papers are archived at Mount Holyoke College, providing a valuable resource for researchers of Chinese history and women’s higher‑education leadership.
