Elizabeth Agnes Dwyer was born on September 29, 1866, in Bonita, Texas, to Judge Thomas A. and Annie (Croker) Dwyer. In 1882, she worked for the post office and for G. W. Baldwin and Company. In 1890, she graduated from a San Antonio business college and in 1891 moved east to become a "congressional reporter" for the
National Economist. Dwyer was making $900 annually by 1897, which was a lower pay for the staff at the Library of Congress. Her job title was simply "assistant." Dwyer worked in the
Copyright Office, though in 1898 she wrote to John Young, reminding him of her trailblazing as the first prominent woman employee there, and requesting a transfer. Young asked David Hutcheson, the library superintendent, to transfer her to the Reading Room. Though Hutcheson claimed she was not strong enough to work there, Young transferred her, likely due to political pressure. Her sister, Marie U. Nordstrom, took her place at the Library of Congress until the mid-1920s. == References ==