| Amanda E. Peele Cheatham | |
| Birth Date: | 10 January 1903 |
| Birth Place: | Jackson, North Carolina, US |
| Fields: | Biology, botany |
| Workplaces: | Hampton Institute |
| Thesis Title: | Floral anatomy of Trapa natans |
| Alma Mater: | Hampton Institute (BS), Cornell University (MS) |
Amanda Eunice Cheatham (January 10, 1903 – April 10, 1978)[1] was an American biologist. She was the first woman of color to deliver a research paper to the Virginia Academy of Science, having done so in 1939.[2]
Amanda E. Peele was born on January 10, 1903, in Jackson, North Carolina.[3] A 1923 graduate of Northampton County Training School, Peele earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Hampton Institute in 1930. After winning a fellowship from the General Education Board,[4] she earned a Master of Science degree from Cornell University in 1934. Her thesis, entitled Floral anatomy of Trapa natans, was a study of water caltrops.[5] At Cornell, Peele studied under Arthur Johnson Eames, William J. Hamilton, Jr., and Albert Hazen Wright.[3]
In 1930, Peele was hired as an assistant professor at Hampton Institute, where she taught biology until her retirement in 1972.[6] In 1941, she served as a regional director of the National Association of College Women.[7] In 1970, she was awarded the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award by Hampton University.[8] She was president of the National Hampton Alumni Association from 1970 to 1977.[9]