She was born on July 4, 1853, to Joseph Russell Skidmore (1821–1882), a coal merchant, and Lucy Ann Hawley (1821–1853).
Lucy's grandparents were Jeremiah and Judith Ludlam Skidmore and Irad and Sarah Holmes Hawley.
In 1879, after just 4 years of marriage, Lucy was widowed when her husband died of pneumonia.
[1] In 1903, she created "The Young Women's Industrial Club" in Saratoga Springs, New York, and in 1911, the club was renamed the "Skidmore School of Arts" and chartered as a college to vocationally and professionally train young women.
In 1922, the school became a four-year, degree-granting institution for women and was renamed "Skidmore College."