Margaret Murray Washington
1861 – 1925
According to a report by Anna Thankful Ballantine, dean of women at Fisk University, Margaret Murray was “of good mind, of conscientious religious convictions, of unusual power in gaining influence over those younger than herself, and of ability to direct them.” While working her way through Fisk in pursuit of a teaching degree, Murray became president of a literary society and associate editor of the campus newspaper, established a friendship with W. E. B. Du Bois, and met her future husband, Booker T. Washingtonfor whom she would be wife number three and stepmother to his three children.
An outstanding organizer and activist in her own right, Margaret Murray Washington also demonstrated unwavering support for her husband’s goals, both at Tuskegee Institute and nationally. After his death in 1915, she continued to be a vital force in the Tuskegee community.