Marguerite Williams facts for kids

Marguerite Thomas Williams (born Marguerite Thomas; December 24, 1895 – August 17, 1991) was an American geologist. She made history as the first African American person to earn a doctorate degree in geology in the United States.

Early Life and Education

Marguerite Thomas was born on December 24, 1895, in Washington, D.C. She was the youngest of six children. She attended Washington Normal School #2, which is now known as the University of the District of Columbia.

In June 1916, she finished a two-year teacher-training program. She received a scholarship to attend Howard University. At her graduation, Dr. Kelly Miller gave a speech. Marguerite also wrote a song for the event, which was sung during the ceremony.

She continued her studies at Howard University and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1923. During this time, she was guided by a famous African American biologist, Ernest Everett Just. While studying, Marguerite also worked as an elementary school teacher. After getting her degree, she returned to the Normal School to teach as an assistant professor. She also helped with the school's theater group.

Advanced Studies in Geology

Marguerite took a break from teaching at the Miner Teachers College to study geology. She went to Columbia University for her master's degree, which she finished in 1930. After completing her master's, she married Dr. Otis James Williams and took his last name.

In 1942, she earned her PhD from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Her PhD paper was called The History of Erosion in the Anacostia Drainage Basin. This achievement made her the first African American to get a doctorate in geology in the U.S. Her paper was later published by the Catholic University of America Press.

What Was Her Dissertation About?

In her important paper, Marguerite Williams studied why the Anacostia River was experiencing erosion. Not much research had been done on the upper and lower parts of the river and how much sedimentation was happening. Flooding in Bladensburg, Maryland made this study very important.

She found that erosion was happening naturally. However, she also discovered that human activities made it much worse. Things like cutting down forests (deforestation), farming (agriculture), and building cities (urbanization) sped up the erosion process.

Her Career as a Teacher and Geologist

Marguerite Williams spent most of her career teaching about geology and social sciences. After earning her PhD in 1942, she was promoted to a full professor at Miner Teachers College.

For ten years, from 1923 to 1933, she was the head of the Geography Division at the Miner Teachers College. Besides teaching and leading the division, she also taught at Howard University in the 1940s. She retired from her teaching career in 1955.

See also

In Spanish: Marguerite Williams para niños