Katharine Ordway (April 3, 1899 – 1979) was an American philanthropist who used her wealth for land preservation, including protecting the prairies of the Great Plains.
Katharine was born on April 3, 1899, to Lucius Pond Ordway and Jessie Cornwell Gilman.
Her father, Lucius, worked his way up to president of a plumbing and heating company, before buying a majority stake in Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing.
Katharine grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and saw the tallgrass prairie in the region almost completely disappear by 1930.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Minnesota with degrees in botany and art, then briefly attended the Yale School of Medicine.