Herron, Carrie Rand (1867-1914)

US socialist. She dedicated herself to the Socialist Party after marrying longtime associate, the Rev George Davis Herron in 1901. Persecuted for their socialist activities and liberal social attitudes, they moved to Florence, Italy, in 1904. They returned briefly to the USA to create the Rand School of Social Science in New York City (1906) at the bequest of the Herron's mother who had died in Florence in 1905. The school, which trained people for leadership in socialist and labour causes, went out of existence in 1956. Carrie and her husband returned to their villa in Florence where they entertained international socialists during her remaining years.

The daughter of philanthropist Caroline Rand, Herron was born in Hagerstown, Maryland. With her mother she was long involved in social causes and in the development of Iowa College in Grinnell (later Grinnell College). While her mother helped fund the creation of departments at Grinnell, Carrie was a physical education instructor (1893-1909) and ‘principal of women’ (1894). She helped fund the construction of the E D Rand Gymnasium for Women (1897).