Alice Porter Murray ( February 22, 1888 – July 14, 1957) was one of seven sophomore founders of

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is an List of African American fraternities, historically African-American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The sorority was founded in 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. Alpha Kappa Alpha ...

sorority, the first sorority founded by African-American women, on January 15, 1908.

Early life

Alice Murray was born in St. Louis, Missouri on February 22, 1888. Her father was Philip H. Murray, the founder of the ''Colored Kentuckian,'' editor and proprietor of the ''St. Louis Advance,'' and the president of the Afro-American Press Association."P. H. Murray Passes Away", ''

Washington Bee ''The Washington Bee'' was a Washington, D.C.–based American weekly newspaper founded in 1882 and primarily read by African Americans. Throughout almost all of its forty-year history, it was edited by African American lawyer-journalist William ...

'' (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), Saturday, February 17, 1917, p. 1. In Washington, D.C., her father published the ''Colored Citizen'' and was the inspector of public improvements under a board of public improvements.Simmons, William J., and Henry McNeal Turner. ''Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising''. GM Rewell & Company, 1887. pp. 97–102. Her mother, Mary, died around 1897. During high school and college, Murray lived with her aunt and uncle on U Street in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Murray graduated from The Academy, Howard's preparatory school in 1906. She was admitted to

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

and entered Howard Teachers College in 1906. During her collegiate years, she published several articles in ''Howard University Journal''. p. 54. On January 15, 1908, Murray participated in the founding of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the first sorority founded by African-American women. Murray hosted an Alpha Kappa Alpha banquet for new members at Howard University in November 1909. On May 24, 1910, Murray graduated with a Teacher's Diploma and a B.A. in

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

and

pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

Career

From 1910 to 1914, Murray was a teacher at Sumner High School in

Cairo, Illinois Cairo ( , sometimes ) is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County, Illinois, Alexander County. A river city, Cairo has the lowest elevation of any location in Illinois and is the only Illinoi ...

. She taught history,

domestic science Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences (often shortened to FCS or FACS), is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and f ...

, and was the student newspaper advisor. Later, she taught English at the George Washington Carver High School and Junior College.

Personal life

Murray married Milton L. D. Grant on July 27, 1914, in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. Grant was a medical doctor. They initially lived on Florida Avenue in Washington, D.C. They had a daughter, Yvette, in 1919. According to the

1930 United States census The 1930 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during t ...

, the couple's fortune had changed during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

and their home had become a

boarding house A boarding house is a house (frequently a family home) in which lodging, lodgers renting, rent one or more rooms on a nightly basis and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months, or years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and ...

with eight roomers.''930 United States Federal Census'' ''Washington, District of Columbia''; Page: ''1B''; Enumeration District: ''0017''; FHL microfilm: ''2340027. via'' Ancestry.com. She was listed as a "servant" and Grant as a carpenter. In May 1941, her husband filed for divorce because of desertion, claiming that she left him on November 26, 1930. At the time, she lived on Rhode Island Avenue, NW in Washington, D.C. Her daughter Yvette died in 1944. In 1946, Grant was charged and convicted of a wrongful death resulting from an illegal abortion. She lost contact with the sorority after college. Murray died on July 14, 1957, in Washington, D.C.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Alice People from Washington, D.C. Alpha Kappa Alpha founders 20th-century deaths People from St. Louis 1888 births Howard University alumni 20th-century African-American educators