Martha Jeannette Vicinus was born on November 20, 1939 in Rochester, New York. Vicinus received her B.A. in English from Northwestern University, 1961; her M.A. in English from Johns Hopkins University, 1962; and a Ph.D. in English and History from University of Wisconsin, 1968. She joined the Department of English faculty at IU Bloomington as an assistant professor in 1968. Vicinus was promoted to Associate Professor in 1972 and to full professor in 1977. While at Indiana University, she was active in many local unions and women's organizations. Vicinus was president of the Bloomington chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, 1975-1976, and a member of the Women's Studies Coordinating Committee, 1974, which recommended the founding of the Women's Studies Program. She also served as editor of Victorian Studies from 1970-1982. Vicinus left the IU faculty in 1982 to take a position at the University of Michigan. While at the University of Michigan, she has chaired the Department of English (1994-1998), was the interim chair of graduate studies in the Department of English (2001-2002), was named the Eliza M. Mosher Distinguished University Professor of English, Women's Studies, and History in 1994, and is currently an emeritus professor. She has authored several books on the history of Victorian Women and gay and lesbian studies including Intimate Friends: Women Who Loved Women, 1778-1928, Independent Women: Work and Community for Single Women, 1850-1920, and A Widening Sphere: Changing Roles of Victorian Women.