Margaret Brown

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other people named Margaret Brown, see Margaret Brown (disambiguation).
"Molly Brown" redirects here. For the 1980s beauty pageant contestant, see Molly Brown (pageant titleholder). For the space capsule, see Gemini 3. For the house, see Molly Brown House. For other meanings, see The Unsinkable Molly Brown.
Margaret "Molly" Brown

Margaret "Molly" Brown, survivor of the Titanic. Date: 1920
Born Margaret Tobin
(1867-07-18)July 18, 1867
Hannibal, Missouri
Died October 26, 1932(1932-10-26) (aged 65)
New York City, New York
Cause of death
 Brain tumor
Resting place
 Cemetery of the Holy Rood
Residence New York City, New York
Nationality American
Other names Molly Brown, Maggie Brown, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Margaret Tobin Brown, Mrs. James J. Brown
Occupation Socialite, activist
Known for Titanic survivor
Home town Denver, Colorado
Salary $700/month (now $18,107/month)
Net worth 238,000 (now 3,304,557)
Religion Roman Catholic
Spouse(s) James Joseph Brown (1886–1922); (his death)
Children 2
Parents John Tobin (1820–1899)
Johanna Collins (1825–1905)

Margaret "Molly" Brown (née Tobin) (July 18, 1867 – October 26, 1932) was an American socialite, philanthropist, and activist who became famous because of her survival of the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, after exhorting the crew of Lifeboat No. 6 to return to look for survivors. It is unclear whether any survivors were found after Lifeboat No. 6 returned to search.[1] She became known after her death as "The Unsinkable Molly Brown", although during her life, her friends called her "Maggie". A 1960 Broadway musical based on her life was produced, along with a 1964 film adaptation of the musical. Both were titled The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

Early life

Born Margaret Tobin in Hannibal, Missouri on what is now known as Denkler's alley, her parents were Irish Roman Catholic immigrants John Tobin (1820–1899) and Johanna Collins (1825–1905). Her siblings were Daniel (born 1863), William (born 1869), and Helen (born 1871). Added to these, Margaret had two half-sisters: Catherine Bridget Tobin, by her father's first marriage, and Mary Ann Collins, by her mother's first marriage. Both her mother and father had been widowed young.

At age 18, Margaret relocated to Leadville, Colorado with her brother Daniel, where she found a job in a department store.[2] In Leadville she met and married James Joseph Brown (1854–1922), nicknamed J.J., an enterprising, self-educated man. His parents, too, had emigrated from Ireland.[3] Brown had always planned to marry a rich man but she married J.J. for love. She said,

I wanted a rich man, but I loved Jim Brown. I thought about how I wanted comfort for my father and how I had determined to stay single until a man presented himself who could give to the tired old man the things I longed for him. Jim was as poor as we were, and had no better chance in life. I struggled hard with myself in those days. I loved Jim, but he was poor. Finally, I decided that I'd be better off with a poor man whom I loved than with a wealthy one whose money had attracted me. So I married Jim Brown.

Margaret and J.J. were married in Leadville's Annunciation Church on September 1, 1886.[2] The Browns had two children:

  • Lawrence Palmer Brown (known as Larry), was born on August 30, 1887 in Hannibal, Missouri. He married Hannah Elizabeth Horton (1890–1985) on January 1, 1911 in Kansas City, Missouri. They had two children: Lawrence Palmer "Pat" Brown, Jr. (1911–1976) and Eileen Elizabeth "Betty" Brown (1913–1974). The marriage failed and Larry married Mildred Gregory (1895–1956) on November 17, 1926 in Beverly Hills, California. This marriage produced no other children. Larry died on April 2, 1949.
  • Catherine Ellen Brown (known as Helen), was born on July 22, 1889 in Leadville, Colorado. She married George Joseph Peter Adelheid Benziger (1877– 1970) on April 7, 1913 in Chicago, Illinois. Her children were James George Benziger (1914–1995) and George Peter Joseph Adelrich Benziger (1917–1985). Her grandchildren include Katherine Benziger (born July 12, 1947) and Vincent Benziger (born August 1950). Helen died in 1969.

The Brown family acquired great wealth when J.J.'s mining engineering efforts proved instrumental in the production of a substantial ore seam at the Little Jonny Mine of his employers, Ibex Mining Company, and he was awarded 12,500 shares of stock and a seat on the board. In Leadville, Margaret helped by working in soup kitchens to assist miners' families.

In 1894, the Browns moved to Denver, Colorado, which gave the family more social opportunities. Margaret became a charter member of the Denver Woman's Club, whose mission was the improvement of women's lives by continuing education and philanthropy. Adjusting to the trappings of a society lady, Brown became well-immersed in the arts and fluent in French, German, and Italian. Brown co-founded a branch in Denver of the Alliance Française to promote her love of French culture.[4][5]

After 23 years of marriage, Margaret and J.J. privately signed a separation agreement in 1909. Although they never reconciled, they continued to communicate and cared for each other throughout their lives. The agreement gave Margaret a cash settlement and she maintained possession of the house on Pennsylvania Street in Denver. She also received a $700 monthly allowance (equivalent to $18,187 today) to continue her travels and social work.

Margaret assisted in the fund-raising for Denver's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception which was completed in 1911. Margaret worked with Judge Lindsey to help destitute children and establish the United States' first juvenile court which helped form the basis of the modern U.S. juvenile courts system.

Margaret ran for Senate again in 1914 but ended her campaign to return to France to work with the American Committee for Devastated France during WWI.

Passenger on Titanic

Margaret Brown (right) giving Captain Arthur Henry Rostron an award for his service in the rescue of Titanic's surviving passengers

Margaret was conveyed to the passenger liner RMS Titanic as a first class passenger aboard the tender SS Nomadic at Cherbourg, France. The Titanic sank early on April 15, 1912, at around 2:20 a.m. after striking an iceberg at around 11:40 the night before. Margaret helped others board the lifeboats, but was finally convinced to leave the ship in Lifeboat No. 6.[1] Brown was later called "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" by authors because she helped in the ship's evacuation, taking an oar herself in her lifeboat and urging that the lifeboat go back and save more people. Her urgings were met with opposition from Quartermaster Robert Hichens, the crewman in charge of Lifeboat 6, who was fearful that if they did go back, the lifeboat would either be pulled down due to suction, or the people in the water would swamp the boat in an effort to get inside.[1] Sources vary as to whether the boat did go back and if they found anyone alive when they did.

Later life

At the time of J.J. Brown's death on September 5, 1922, Margaret told newspapers, "I've never met a finer, bigger, more worthwhile man than J.J. Brown." J.J. died without a will and it required five years of disputation between Brown and her two children finally to settle the estate. Due to their lavish spending J.J. left an estate valued at only $238,000, equal to $3,319,225 today. Maggie was to receive $20,000 in cash and securities (equal to $278,926 today), and the interest on a $100,000 trust fund (equal to $1,394,632 today) in her name. Her children, Lawrence and Helen, received the rest. A court case against Helen and Lawrence was settled privately and Margaret and her children were reconciled at the time of her death in 1932.

Margaret Brown

Her fame as a well-known Titanic survivor helped her promote the issues she felt strongly about—the rights of workers and women, education and literacy for children, historic preservation, and commemoration of the bravery and chivalry displayed by the men aboard the Titanic. During World War I in France, she worked with the American Committee for Devastated France to rebuild areas behind the front line and helped wounded French and American soldiers. She was awarded the French Legion of Honour for her good citizenship including her activism and philanthropy in America. During the last years of her life, she was an actress.

After she died in 1932 (during the Great Depression), her two children sold her estate for $6,000, equal to $108,201 today. She is buried in the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, New York.[6]

Portrayals

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Titanic: a night remembered, Stephanie L. Barczewski, 2004, page 30.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Harper, Kimberly. "Margaret Tobin Brown (1867 - 1932)". State Historical Society of Missouri. Retrieved 27 October 2013. 
  3. ↑ Encyclopedia Titanica
  4. ↑ Iversen, Kristen (1999). Molly Brown: Unraveling the Myth. Boulder: Johnson Books. pp. 145–146. 
  5. ↑ Iversen, p. 34
  6. ↑ Margaret "Unsinkable Molly Brown" Brown at Find a Grave

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Margaret Brown.


Authority control

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.