Profile of the Day: Anne Sullivan

On this day in 1866, American educator Anne Sullivan was born in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts. Sullivan is best remembered as the teacher and life-long campion of Helen Keller.

Image: Helen Keller & Anne Sullivan / Library of Congress

Born Johanna Mansfield Sullivan, Sullivan was the child of Irish immigrants who came to the United States during the Great Famine. At the age of 8, she contracted trachoma, which eventually made her nearly blind. In 1880, she began her studies at the Perkins School for the Blind. An excellent student, Sullivan graduated at the age of 20 as the valedictorian of her class.

Shortly after graduating, she was hired by Arthur Keller as a teacher for his blind and deaf daughter, Helen. A gifted teacher, Sullivan taught Helen how to communicate with the world. She remained Helen’s close friend and companion for 49 years until her death in 1936.

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