Author and sculptor Kate Millett (born 1934) was one of the leading theorists of the feminist movement of the second half of the 20th century.

Katherine Murray Millett was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 14, 1934, the second of three daughters. Her father, a contractor, abandoned the family when Kate was 14 years old. Although college educated, her mother at first had to support the family by demonstrating potato peelers, but eventually worked as an insurance agent.

Worked as Artist

Born into an Irish Catholic background, Millett attended parochial elementary and high schools. In 1956 she received her B.A. degree magna cum laude and phi beta kappa from the University of Minnesota. She majored in English. After graduation she attended St. Hilda's College at Oxford University and in 1958 received first class honors in English literature. In the fall of that year she returned to the United States to teach English...