Sherrill Redmon was born on February 6, 1943, in Louisville, Kentucky. She is an American feminist scholar and academic archivist.
Redmon spent nearly two decades leading one of the largest women’s history archives in the world.
Who is Sherrill Redmon?
Sherrill Redmon built her career in academic archiving, focused on preserving women’s history. She spent nineteen years directing the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College.
She is also known publicly as the first wife of Senator Mitch McConnell. Their marriage ended in 1980, well before McConnell’s rise to national political prominence.
Redmon built an independent career after her divorce. Her work at Smith College became her most lasting professional legacy.
Early Life of Sherrill Redmon
Redmon was born on February 6, 1943, in Louisville, Kentucky. Her father, Charles Redmon, worked as a businessman, and her mother, Doris Redmon, worked as a piano teacher.
She attended Seneca High School in Louisville. Redmon went on to study at the University of Louisville, where she met McConnell in 1962.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Louisville in 1965. Redmon later pursued graduate studies at the University of Kentucky, earning a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1974.
Sherrill Redmon Age
Sherrill Redmon is 83 years old as of 2026, born on February 6, 1943. Her zodiac sign is Aquarius.
She built her career well into her later years, retiring from Smith College in 2012 at the age of 69. Redmon has continued supporting feminist causes since her retirement.
Sherrill Redmon Ethnicity and Nationality
Redmon holds American nationality and was born in Louisville, Kentucky. She is of white American descent.
She grew up in Kentucky before eventually relocating to Massachusetts for her academic career. Redmon has largely kept details about her extended family background private throughout her life.
Sherrill Redmon Education
Redmon graduated from Seneca High School in Louisville, Kentucky. She then enrolled at the University of Louisville, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965.
She continued her education at the University of Kentucky, completing a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1974. That doctoral training later supported her work as an academic archivist and feminist scholar.
Sherrill Redmon Career
Redmon built her career largely after her divorce from McConnell in 1980. She relocated to Massachusetts and became involved in feminist scholarship at Smith College in Northampton.
Early Career
Following her divorce, Redmon worked to establish herself within academic archiving and women’s history scholarship. She spent years building credibility in the field before taking on a leadership role.
Her early work focused on preserving historical materials related to women’s rights movements. That focus shaped the direction of her later career at Smith College.
Major Positions Held
In 1993, Redmon became director of the Sophia Smith Collection of the Women’s History Archives at Smith College. The collection ranks among the largest repositories of women’s history materials in the United States.
She led the archive for nineteen years, working to diversify its holdings. Redmon expanded the collection to include materials from women of color, working-class women, and other underrepresented groups, moving beyond its earlier focus on white women from the northeastern United States.
She also collaborated with feminist writer and activist Gloria Steinem on the Voices of Feminism Oral History Project. That project captured firsthand accounts from major figures in the American feminist movement.
Current Role
Redmon retired from her position at Smith College on August 31, 2012. Her nineteen-year tenure remains her most widely recognized professional achievement.
She has continued supporting feminist causes since her retirement. Redmon has largely stepped back from public roles in recent years while maintaining her advocacy work.
Sherrill Redmon Notable Coverage
Redmon’s diversification of the Sophia Smith Collection has been cited by scholars as an important example of institutional archiving reform. Her efforts helped bring in materials that would have otherwise gone undocumented.
She has generally avoided public discussion of her earlier marriage to McConnell. Redmon has instead let her archival and scholarly work define her public reputation.
Sherrill Redmon Ex-Husband
Redmon met Mitch McConnell in 1962 while both attended the University of Louisville. The two began dating about six months later and married in 1968.
The couple had three daughters together, Elly, born in 1972, Porter, born in 1976, and Claire, born in 1979. Roughly a decade into the marriage, McConnell became judge of Jefferson County, a role that kept him away from home for extended periods.
Redmon and McConnell divorced in 1980, a year after their youngest daughter’s birth. Neither has spoken extensively in public about the specific reasons behind the split.
McConnell later married current U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao on February 6, 1993.
Sherrill Redmon Children
Redmon and McConnell had three daughters during their marriage: Elly, Porter, and Claire McConnell. All three were born between 1972 and 1979, before their parents’ 1980 divorce.
Redmon largely raised her daughters during and after the marriage while also managing her own career path. She has kept most details about her daughters’ adult lives out of public view.
Sherrill Redmon Net Worth
Sherrill Redmon’s estimated net worth is $2 million as of 2026. Her income comes mainly from her academic career rather than any settlement from her earlier marriage.
She built that financial standing over nearly two decades directing the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College. Redmon’s wealth reflects her long independent career in archiving and scholarship, distinct from her ex-husband’s political career.
The Bottom Line
Sherrill Redmon directed the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College for nineteen years, from 1993 until her retirement in 2012. During that time, she worked with Gloria Steinem on the Voices of Feminism Oral History Project.
She earned her doctorate from the University of Kentucky in 1974 after completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Louisville. Redmon built her career in Massachusetts, largely apart from her earlier life in Kentucky.
She remains connected to feminist causes following her retirement from Smith College. Redmon continues to be remembered for transforming one of the country’s major women’s history archives.
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