Maggie Lena Walker (July 15, 1864-December 15, 1934) was an American teacher, businesswoman, and first African American woman bank president. She was the first woman to charter a bank in the United States,. As a leader, she achieved successes with the vision to make tangible improvements in the way of life for African Americans and women. Disabled by paralysis and limited to a wheelchair later in life, Walker also became an example for persons wi...
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Maggie Lena Walker (July 15, 1864-December 15, 1934) was an American teacher, businesswoman, and first African American woman bank president. She was the first woman to charter a bank in the United States,. As a leader, she achieved successes with the vision to make tangible improvements in the way of life for African Americans and women. Disabled by paralysis and limited to a wheelchair later in life, Walker also became an example for persons with disabilities.
Walker's restored and furnished home in the historic Jackson Ward neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia has been designated a National Historic Site, operated by the National Park Service.
Maggie Lena Mitchell was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1864, the daughter of Eccles Cuthbert and Elizabeth Draper. A former slave, her mother Elizabeth was assistant cook in the Church Hill mansion of Elizabeth Van Lew, a Richmond Unionist who had run a spy ring during the Civil War. Van Lew was later appointed postmistress for Richmond....
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