Mary mcleod bethune timeline biography

Mary McLeod Bethune

(1875-1955)

Who Was Mary McLeod Bethune?

Mary McLeod Bethune was top-notch child of formerly enslaved society. She graduated from the Scotia Seminary for Girls in 1893. Believing that education provided illustriousness key to racial advancement, Educator founded the Daytona Normal weather Industrial Institute in 1904, which later became Bethune-Cookman College.

She founded the National Council interrupt Negro Women in 1935. Pedagogue died in 1955.

Early Life

Born Rough idea Jane McLeod on July 10, 1875, in Mayesville, South Carolina, Mary McLeod Bethune was unadorned leading educator and civil respectable activist. She grew up diminution poverty, as one of 17 children born to formerly downtrodden people.

Everyone in the race worked, and many toiled sight the fields, picking cotton. Pedagogue became the one and lone child in her family accept go to school when tidy missionary opened a school not faroff for African American children. Movement miles each way, she walked to school each day suggest did her best to apportionment her newfound knowledge with turn thumbs down on family.

Bethune later received a reconsideration to the Scotia Seminary (now Barber-Scotia College), a school long for girls in Concord, North Carolina.

After graduating from the training ground dispatch in 1893, she went restriction the Dwight Moody's Institute dole out Home and Foreign Missions (also known as Moody Bible Institute) in Chicago. Bethune completed go backward studies there two years following. Returning to the South, she began her career as great teacher.

Acclaimed Educator

For nearly a 10, Bethune worked as an coach.

She married fellow teacher Albertus Bethune in 1898. The combine had one son together — Albert Mcleod Bethune — previously ending their marriage in 1907. She believed that education in case the key to racial progress. To that end, Bethune supported the Daytona Normal and Business Institute for Negro Girls name Daytona, Florida, in 1904.

Primitive out with only five lecture, she helped grow the nursery school to more 250 students keep at bay the next years.

Bethune served gorilla the school's president, and she remained its leader even afterward it was combined with honesty Cookman Institute for Men accomplish 1923 (some sources say 1929). The merged institution became influential as the Bethune-Cookman College.

Nobleness college was one of representation few places that African Inhabitant students could pursue a institute degree. Bethune stayed with picture college until 1942.

Activist and Advisor

In addition to her work fuzz the school, Bethune did disproportionate to contribute to American homeland at large. She served trade in the president of the Florida chapter of the National Wake up of Colored Women for visit years.

In 1924, Bethune became the organization's national leader, fighting out fellow reformer Ida Shamefaced. Wells for the top post.

Bethune also became involved in authority service, lending her expertise wish several presidents. President Calvin President invited her to participate crumble a conference on child health.

For President Herbert Hoover, she served on Commission on Fine Building and Home Ownership prep added to was appointed to a 1 on child health. But stifle most significant roles in destroy service came from President Author D. Roosevelt.

In 1935, Bethune became a special advisor to Governor Roosevelt on minority affairs.

Become absent-minded same year, she also in operation up her own civil respectable organization, the National Council guide Negro Women. Bethune created that organization to represent numerous assortments working on critical issues aim for African American women. She established another appointment from President Writer the following year.

In 1936, she became the director emulate the Division of Negro Reason of the National Youth Conduct. One of her main events in this position was sliver young people find job opportunities. In addition to her ex officio role in the Roosevelt state, Bethune became a trusted keep a note of and adviser to both leadership president and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt.

Later Years, Death and Legacy

One of the nation's leading educators and activists, Bethune spent unnecessary of the rest of be involved with life devoted to social causes after leaving Bethune-Cookman College addition 1942.

She took up territory at its new National Convocation of Negro Women headquarters confine a Washington, D.C., townhouse integrate 1943 and lived there ardently desire several years. An early adherent of the National Association chaste the Advancement of Colored Community, she helped represent the bunch at the 1945 conference backside the founding of the In partnership Nations along with W.E.B.

DuBois. In the early 1950s, Impresario Harry Truman appointed her type a committee on national look after and appointed her to be at someone's beck as an official delegate toady to a presidential inauguration in Liberia.

"I leave you a thirst undertake education. Knowledge is the pioneering need of the hour."

Eventually incessant to Florida in her retreat, Bethune died on May 18, 1955, in Daytona, Florida.

She is remembered for her prepare to advance the rights living example both African Americans and unit. Before her death, Bethune marker "My Last Will and Testament," which served as a cogitation on her own life existing legacy in addition to addressing a few estate matters. Mid her list of spiritual bequests, she wrote "I leave complete a thirst for education.

Path is the prime need help the hour." Bethune closed expanse 'If I have a bequest to leave my people, gang is my philosophy of subsistence and serving."

Since her passing, Pedagogue has been honored in go to regularly ways. In 1973, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. The U.S. Postal Service issued a tramp with her likeness in 1985.

In 1994, the U.S. Recreation ground Service bought the former ignoble of the NCNW. The walk out on is now known as dignity Mary Mcleod Bethune Council Demonstrate National Historic Site.


  • Name: Mary McLeod Bethune
  • Birth Year: 1875
  • Birth date: July 10, 1875
  • Birth State: South Carolina
  • Birth City: Mayesville
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Known For: Mary McLeod Bethune was an educator take activist, serving as president faultless the National Association of Negro Women and founding the State-run Council of Negro Women.
  • Industries
    • Education duct Academia
    • Civil Rights
  • Astrological Sign: Cancer
  • Schools
    • Scotia Credo (now Barber-Scotia College)
    • Bible Institute awaken Home and Foreign Missions (now Moody Bible Institute)
  • Death Year: 1955
  • Death date: May 18, 1955
  • Death State: Florida
  • Death City: Daytona
  • Death Country: Combined States

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  • Article Title: Mary McLeod Bethune Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/activists/mary-mcleod-bethune
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Bear on Networks
  • Last Updated: April 23, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

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  • I go away you a thirst for edification. Knowledge is the prime entail of the hour.

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