Margaret Floy Washburn was born in New York City on July 25, 1871, the only child of Francis Washburn and Elizabeth Floy Davis. She was raised in a middle class home where the women were of exceptional academic accomplishments. She was educated in both private and public schools with interests focusing on philosophy and the sciences. At the age of 20 she graduated from Vassar College and began studying at Columbia University. .
While at Columbia she was "allowed" to audit classes and work in James M. Cattel's laboratory. Despite his full support and due to gender restrictions, she was not formally admitted as a student of psychology or as a student of the university. After a year she was chosen as a degree candidate at Cornell University, after winning the prestigious Susan Lynn Sage Fellowship. Within two years she began to study under Edward B. Titchner in experimental psychology. Under Titchner, she received a master's degree in 1893 for her work with him. In 1894, she became the first woman to be granted a doctorate in psychology. Interestingly, she was not only the first woman to receive this degree; she was the first student to earn the support of Titchner for the doctorate. (Gale Encyclopedia).
In the fall following her doctorate, Washburn moved to Wells College as a professor of psychology, philosophy and ethics. After a brief period as an interim lecturer at Cornell, she accepted a position as an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati. She was the only woman in a faculty position. She remained with Cornell until her return to Vassar in 1903. She was "promoted" to professor in 1908, after becoming a cooperating editor of the American Journal of Psychology. She remained at Vassar for the majority of her life, attaining the title Emeritus Professor of Psychology the year prior to her retirement in 1937.
Washburn was noted as an excellent teacher, and contributed to numerous theory developments within psychology.