Early Life and Education:

• Born into a prominent African American family in Washington, D.C.
• Father: Dr. William S. Lofton, a dentist and supporter of Black businesses
• Mother: Lavinia Day Lofton, active in the Catholic Church
• Graduated from Miner Normal School in Washington D.C. in 1909
• Earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Smith College in 1914
• Received a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Chicago in 1930

Career Highlights:

• Taught in Washington D.C. public schools for 47 years
• Founded the mathematics department at Miner Teachers College in 1930
• Became the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1943 from Catholic University of America
• Thesis: “Determination of Sets of Independent Conditions Characterizing Certain Special Cases of Symmetric Correspondences”
• Served as professor of mathematics at Miner Teachers College and District of Columbia Teachers College
• Chaired the Division of Mathematics and Business Education at D.C. Teachers College
• Appointed to the D.C. Board of Education in 1960
• Served as president of the D.C. Board of Education from 1966 to 1967

Major Contributions:

• Advocated strongly for desegregation of public schools in Washington D.C.
• Opposed the “track system” which disproportionately affected African American students
• Instrumental in establishing machinery for collective bargaining rights for teachers in D.C.
• Active in promoting mathematics education and improving educational standards

Awards and Recognition:

• Elected fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Science in 1962
• Received the “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” medal from Pope John XXIII in 1959 for her service to the Catholic Church and community

Personal Life:

• Married Harold Appo Haynes in 1917, who became a school principal and deputy superintendent of colored schools in Washington, D.C.
• The couple had no children
• Active in the Catholic Church and co-founded the Catholic Interracial Council of the District of Columbia

Legacy:

• Left $700,000 to Catholic University upon her death, which was used to establish:
  
  1. An endowed chair in the Department of Education
  2. An annual colloquium
  3. A perpetual student loan fund
• Remembered as a pioneering educator, mathematician, and advocate for equality in education

Euphemia Haynes’ life and work exemplify dedication to education, mathematics, and social justice. Her groundbreaking achievements as the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Mathematics, coupled with her tireless efforts to improve and desegregate the D.C. public school system, make her a significant figure in both the history of mathematics and the struggle for civil rights in education.