Maggie Lena Walker
Maggie Lena Walker (1864–1934) was the daughter of Elizabeth Draper, born after the Civil War born as a free person, not a slave. Her life began in hard times but grew to greatness through education and self-determination. Walker grew up helping her mother run a small laundry service. As a young girl she attended school and learned to read and write. As well as help her mother wash and iron clothes.
This early business experience led her to be elected at age seventeen to office in the Independent Order of St. Luke, a black burial society. In 1903 she founded the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank and was probably the first African American female bank president in America. In 1930, St. Luke Penny Savings Bank became the Consolidated Bank and Trust Company, with Maggie Walker as chairman. The bank continued to operate as a black–owned institution until 2005, when it was purchased by the Abigail Adams Corp. The name Consolidated Bank and Trust Company ceased to exist after Premier Bank purchased the business in 2011.
Maggie Walker’s interests and energy extended beyond her business ventures. She founded the Richmond Council of Colored Women, a group that raised money for education and health programs. She was a political activist in the black community and worked for women’s suffrage and then voter registration after the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. She published a newspaper, The Saint Luke Herald, and was an active member of First African Baptist church.
Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
As the years past she served on the board of NAACP. Because of her work she received many honors. “Through education and determination, you can do anything.” Until her death in 1934, at 67 years of age. Walker worked tirelessly to help African Americans achieve economic and social independence. In 1978 her home became a national historic site. It stands today as a source of inspiration for all.
