Mary Louise Robinson Meriwether (1848–1942) was an African American activist in Washington, D.C. She was heavily involved in child welfare efforts in Washington, in particular as president of the National Home for the Relief of Destitute Colored Women and Children, which was later renamed in her honor.

Biography

Mary Robinson Meriwether was born in 1848 to a prominent business couple, Robert J. and Sara Wiggins Robinson. Little is known of her mother's heritage, but her father's heritage was documented during his lifetime. Robert's grandfather was the grandson of

Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (22 October 16939 December 1781) was a British-born planter. The only member of the British peerage to permanently reside in British America, Fairfax owned the Northern Neck Proprietary in the Colony ...

. His mother was the daughter of Captain William S. Neville, brother of Joseph Neville Jr. As they lived as African Americans, it is presumed that one or more relatives on both sides were of African ancestry. Mary was raised as one of eight children the couple had together, and she graduated from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

in 1870. Mary at the end of her life was recognized as one of the institution's earliest Black graduates, the oldest living member of her 1870 class, and the eldest member 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 until her death in 1942. Once she graduated from Oberlin, she was appointed to the faculty of the first Black high school in Washington, where she taught until her marriage to James H. Meriwether, who practiced law in the District of Columbia. Mary Meriwether was active in religious, cultural, and civic life in Washington. As two of the founders of the Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church, she and her husband served on nearly every committee. They also helped to secure home rental and ownership for other African American families in the DC area. She and her husband raised five children, who all became civic servants in their own rights: Robert H. Meriwether, Agnes Meriwether Brownley, Mary E. Meriwether Henderson, Sarah Meriwether Nutter, and Edith Meriwether Washington Shehee. Her chief interest was the development and maintenance of the National Home for the Relief of Destitute Colored Women and Children, established by an Act of Congress in 1863. In 1917, a movement was launched to take away this institution from those in authority. Meriwether appeared before a United States Congressional Committee, and the continued existence of this organization was due largely to her efforts. When the

Young Men's Christian Association YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

was organized in Washington, she served as president of the Women's Auxiliary. Soon after her affiliation with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, she presented this organization with the table that was used in negotiating the establishment of

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 gave her consent to have the table presented to the university."HU Journal, Volume 11 Issue 14" (1914). Volume 11. 14. https://dh.howard.edu/huj_v11/14 , pg. 6 She was also an initial charter member of the Xi Omega chapter of AKA.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meriwether, Mary Robinson 1942 deaths Oberlin College alumni American women educators American educators