One of the first students at Newnham College in Cambridge, in 1876 she married (and became converted to feminism by) the philosopher Henry Sidgwick. In 1880 she became Vice-Principal of Newnham under the founding Principal Anne Clough, succeeding as principal on Clough's death in 1892.
In 1876, at Newnham College in Cambridge, she married and was influenced by the philosopher Henry Sidgwick. In 1880, she became Vice-Principal of Newnham under Anne Clough, who founded the college, and succeeded her as principal after Clough's death in 1892.