Frances Glessner Lee
Encyclopedia
Frances Glessner Lee was a millionaire
heiress
who revolutionized the study of crime scene investigation
. She founded Harvard's department of legal medicine, the first program in the nation for forensic pathology
.
. She and her brother were educated at home; her brother went to Harvard, but she was not permitted to attend college and instead married a lawyer, Blewett Lee, who later divorced her. When she expressed interest in forensic pathology years later, she was emphatically discouraged. She had to wait until a year after her brother's death in 1930, when, aged 52, she took her first steps towards her own career.
, is now a museum. She loved Sherlock Holmes
's stories because of their twists, which often result from overlooked details.
and was particularly interested in death investigation. They remained close friends until his death in 1938. Magrath became a chief medical examiner in Boston and together they lobbied to have coroners replaced by medical professionals. Glessner Lee endowed the Harvard department of legal medicine (in 1931, the first such department in the country), a chair in the field, the George Burgess Magrath Library, and Harvard Associates in Police Science, a national organization for the furtherance of forensic science, one division of which is the Frances Glessner Lee Homicide School. The Harvard program influenced other states to change over from the coroner system. Magrath became the department's first Chair.
Through the 1940s and 1950s, Lee hosted a series of semi-annual "Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death
." 30 or 40 leading crime scene investigators would be invited to a week-long conference, where she would present them with an intricately constructed diorama
of actual crime scenes, complete with working doors, windows, and lights. They would have 90 minutes to study the scene. The week culminated in a banquet at the Ritz Carlton. The 18 dioramas are still used for training purposes by Harvard Associates in Police Science.
For her work, Lee was made an honorary Captain in the New Hampshire
State Police in 1943, the first woman in the US to hold that rank.
Millionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account...
heiress
Beneficiary
A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example: The beneficiary of a life insurance policy, is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured...
who revolutionized the study of crime scene investigation
Crime scene investigation
Crime scene investigation may refer to:* Forensic science, science used in determining facts during legal proceedings* CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a US television series...
. She founded Harvard's department of legal medicine, the first program in the nation for forensic pathology
Forensic pathology
Forensic pathology is a branch of pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a corpse. The autopsy is performed by the pathologist at the request of a coroner or medical examiner usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some...
.
Biography
She was born in Chicago. Her father, John Jacob Glessner, was an industrialist who became wealthy from International HarvesterInternational Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
. She and her brother were educated at home; her brother went to Harvard, but she was not permitted to attend college and instead married a lawyer, Blewett Lee, who later divorced her. When she expressed interest in forensic pathology years later, she was emphatically discouraged. She had to wait until a year after her brother's death in 1930, when, aged 52, she took her first steps towards her own career.
Personal notes
Glessner Lee's perfectionism and dioramas reflect the family background. Her father was obsessed with furnishing the family home with fine furniture. He wrote a book on it and the family home, designed by Henry Hobson RichardsonHenry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
, is now a museum. She loved Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
's stories because of their twists, which often result from overlooked details.
Career
She was inspired by a classmate of her brother, George Burgess Magrath, who was just getting his MD from Harvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
and was particularly interested in death investigation. They remained close friends until his death in 1938. Magrath became a chief medical examiner in Boston and together they lobbied to have coroners replaced by medical professionals. Glessner Lee endowed the Harvard department of legal medicine (in 1931, the first such department in the country), a chair in the field, the George Burgess Magrath Library, and Harvard Associates in Police Science, a national organization for the furtherance of forensic science, one division of which is the Frances Glessner Lee Homicide School. The Harvard program influenced other states to change over from the coroner system. Magrath became the department's first Chair.
Through the 1940s and 1950s, Lee hosted a series of semi-annual "Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death
Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death
The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death is a series of eighteen intricately designed dollhouse-style dioramas created by Frances Glessner Lee, a millionaire heiress with an interest in forensic science....
." 30 or 40 leading crime scene investigators would be invited to a week-long conference, where she would present them with an intricately constructed diorama
Diorama
The word diorama can either refer to a nineteenth century mobile theatre device, or, in modern usage, a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum...
of actual crime scenes, complete with working doors, windows, and lights. They would have 90 minutes to study the scene. The week culminated in a banquet at the Ritz Carlton. The 18 dioramas are still used for training purposes by Harvard Associates in Police Science.
For her work, Lee was made an honorary Captain in the New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
State Police in 1943, the first woman in the US to hold that rank.
In popular culture
- The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained DeathNutshell Studies of Unexplained DeathThe Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death is a series of eighteen intricately designed dollhouse-style dioramas created by Frances Glessner Lee, a millionaire heiress with an interest in forensic science....
provided the inspiration for the Miniature Killer in the popular television show CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
. - Glessner Lee is paid tribute in the award-winning hard-cover book Encyclopedia HorrificaEncyclopedia HorrificaEncyclopedia Horrifica: The Terrifying TRUTH! About Vampires, Ghosts, Monsters, and More is a hardcover book by Joshua Gee....
by Joshua Gee. - Glessner Lee was reportedly the inspiration for Jessica FletcherJessica FletcherJessica Fletcher is a fictional character portrayed by veteran Tony-winning actress Angela Lansbury on the American television series Murder, She Wrote...
in Murder, She WroteMurder, She WroteMurder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
.
Further reading
- Corinne May Botz. The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death. New York: Monacelli, 2004. ISBN 9781580931458