Brown, Margaret "Molly" (1867-1932)
- Title
- Brown, Margaret "Molly" (1867-1932)
- Contributor
- Zizelmann, Evelyn
- birthday
- 1867-07-18
- Birthplace
- Hannibal, MO
- Death Date
- 1932-10-26
- Occupation
- Philanthropist, social reform activist, author, actress
- Biographical Text
-
Margaret Brown was born to Irish Catholic immigrants John and Johanna Tobin, the third of five siblings. At age 18, she found a new home in Leadville, Colorado, with one of her brothers, her sister, and her sister's husband. There, she met her future husband, who became wealthy in 1893 when his mining engineering attempts were successful. This led to Brown's traveling and providing help to people; she worked in soup kitchens, and became a member of the Denver Women's Club, which helped to educate women. She additionally collaborated with Judge Ben Lindsey to assist destitute children and form one of the first juvenile courts in the U.S.. She traveled often, and was abroad in Paris when she received news to return home. She booked passage on the RMS Titanic, and when the ship sank, was a main figure in helping people board the lifeboats. She was noteworthy for, and earned her title of "Unsinkable Molly Brown" for fighting the quartermaster on Lifeboat 6 about going back and looking for survivors. After being rescued, Brown formed a survivors' committee with the other first-class people who escaped the Titanic, which provided counseling and basic necessities for all other passengers who survived. She wrote an autobiography about this endeavor, and would run for Senate in 1914, endorsed by the President of the National Women's Suffrage Association, but would end her campaign to work in France with the American Committee For Devastated France during World War One. In the last years of her life, she was an actress.
Molly Tobin married James Joseph Brown in 1886 and had two children with him, Lawrence Palmer Brown and Catherine Ellen Brown. Molly died of a brain tumor at 10:55 PM in the Barbizon Hotel in New York City. Despite her popularity, her funeral was small, and there was no eulogy present. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1985.
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