Olivia A. Davidson
Encyclopedia
Olivia America Davidson Washington, was a co-founder of the Tuskegee Institute and the wife of Booker T. Washington
. She was born on June 11, 1854 in Mercer County, Virginia, now Mercer County, West Virginia
. She died May 9, 1889.
Mrs. Washington's family fled Virginia because of the treatment of free blacks and went to Ironton, Ohio
. At some time during her childhood, she lived her sister Mary's family in Gallipolis, Ohio
. Her sister, a dressmaker and millineer, relocated several times before going to Columbus, Ohio
. She began teaching at age sixteen.
In 1874, she became a sixth-grade teacher in a new school in Memphis, Tennessee
, where her sister Margaret was also a teacher and where her brother Joseph lived. There, her principal instituted changes that she had recommended. In 1878, she returned to Ohio after the murder of her brother by the Ku Klux Klan
and the death of her sister. That year she enrolled as a senior at Hampton Institute. She was one of the graduation speakers on May 22, 1879. From there, she attended the State Normal School
at Framingham, Massachusetts
, graduating June 29, 1881 as one of six honor students.
Mrs. Washington then returned to Hampton to rest, recover from a serious illness, and to teach. Booker T. Washington, who had been the postgraduate speaker at Hampton, contacted her and asked her to help him open Tuskegee. After recovering from her illness, she joined him on August 25, 1881. She threw herself into the work and labored unceasingly despite precarious health, becoming Booker T.'s partner in building Tuskegee. On August 11, 1886, she married Booker T. Washington, two years after the death of his first wife, Fannie N. Smith. Their first son, Booker, Jr., was born May 29, 1887. Their second son, Ernest Davidson, was born February 6, 1889. Two days later, their house burned down, and she suffered exposure to the early morning cold. Her health deteriorated further, and she died of laryngeal tuberculosis on May 9, 1889, at Massachusetts General Hospital
.
Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2008.
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC Document Number: K1623000473
Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington was an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. He was the dominant figure in the African-American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915...
. She was born on June 11, 1854 in Mercer County, Virginia, now Mercer County, West Virginia
Mercer County, West Virginia
-External links:* * * * * * *...
. She died May 9, 1889.
Mrs. Washington's family fled Virginia because of the treatment of free blacks and went to Ironton, Ohio
Ironton, Ohio
Ironton is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Lawrence County. The municipality is located in southern Ohio along the Ohio River. The population was 11,211 at the 2000 census. Ironton is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the...
. At some time during her childhood, she lived her sister Mary's family in Gallipolis, Ohio
Gallipolis, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,180 people, 1,847 households, and 1,004 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,156.2 people per square mile . There were 2,056 housing units at an average density of 568.7 per square mile...
. Her sister, a dressmaker and millineer, relocated several times before going to Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. She began teaching at age sixteen.
In 1874, she became a sixth-grade teacher in a new school in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, where her sister Margaret was also a teacher and where her brother Joseph lived. There, her principal instituted changes that she had recommended. In 1878, she returned to Ohio after the murder of her brother by the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
and the death of her sister. That year she enrolled as a senior at Hampton Institute. She was one of the graduation speakers on May 22, 1879. From there, she attended the State Normal School
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
at Framingham, Massachusetts
Framingham, Massachusetts
Framingham is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 68,318 as of the United States 2010 Census. -History:...
, graduating June 29, 1881 as one of six honor students.
Mrs. Washington then returned to Hampton to rest, recover from a serious illness, and to teach. Booker T. Washington, who had been the postgraduate speaker at Hampton, contacted her and asked her to help him open Tuskegee. After recovering from her illness, she joined him on August 25, 1881. She threw herself into the work and labored unceasingly despite precarious health, becoming Booker T.'s partner in building Tuskegee. On August 11, 1886, she married Booker T. Washington, two years after the death of his first wife, Fannie N. Smith. Their first son, Booker, Jr., was born May 29, 1887. Their second son, Ernest Davidson, was born February 6, 1889. Two days later, their house burned down, and she suffered exposure to the early morning cold. Her health deteriorated further, and she died of laryngeal tuberculosis on May 9, 1889, at Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
.
Source
- "Olivia Davidson Washington." Notable Black American Women, Book 1. Gale Research, 1992.
Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2008.
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC Document Number: K1623000473