Myrtle Foster Cook facts for kids

Myrtle Foster Cook (born April 17, 1870, died August 31, 1951) was an amazing woman. She was a teacher, a political activist, and a leader in many community groups. She was born in Canada but spent most of her life working for change in the United States.

Early Life and Education

Myrtle Foster was born in Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada. She grew up in Monroe, Michigan. Her parents were James William Foster and Elizabeth Butler Foster.

Myrtle's grandfathers had a very brave story. They both escaped slavery in the United States. They found freedom in Canada with help from the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network that helped enslaved people reach free states or Canada.

Myrtle's father owned a fruit and dairy farm in Monroe. Her sisters had their own candy business. Myrtle was very smart and went to college. She graduated from the University of Michigan.

Career as a Teacher and Leader

Myrtle started her career as a church organist and Sunday school teacher in Michigan. She later became a teacher at a special school called a normal school in Frankfort, Kentucky. A normal school was a place where people learned how to become teachers.

She moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma, with her first husband. There, she continued teaching. She also started a club, organized talks, and helped raise money for a hospital.

Moving to Kansas City

In 1916, Myrtle Foster Cook moved to Kansas City, Missouri. She became the head of the English department at Lincoln High School. This is where she met her second husband, who was also a teacher.

Myrtle and her husband, Hugh Cook, worked together to help their community. They started a savings and loan association for African Americans. This helped people save money and get loans.

Fighting for Rights

Myrtle Foster Cook was a very important leader in the NAACP. The NAACP is a group that works to ensure equal rights for all people. She was the national leader for their legal defense fund. This fund helped pay for legal cases to fight for justice.

She was also a leader in other important groups:

• The YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association).
• The National Association of Colored Women (NACW).

The NACW was a group of African American women who worked to improve their communities. Myrtle was the editor of the NACW's newspaper, National Notes, from 1922 to 1926. She also led the NACW's history department. She even spoke at a conference with famous historians like Carter G. Woodson. In 1934, she became the president of the NACW's Central District.

Community and Political Work

Myrtle Cook cared deeply about her community. She helped create the Jackson County Home for Negro Boys. She was also a leader in the Women's League of Kansas City.

She was appointed by two governors to the Missouri Negro Educational and Industrial Commission. This group worked to improve education and jobs for African Americans in Missouri.

Myrtle was also very active in politics. She worked to help women get the right to vote. After women won the right to vote, she became involved in the Republican Party. She held many leadership roles in elections during the 1920s. In 1928, she was chosen to be on the National Republican Executive Committee. She worked on the campaign for President Herbert Hoover.

Personal Life

Myrtle Foster married twice. Her first husband was Dr. Louis G. Dodd. They married in 1900, but he passed away in 1911.

Her second husband was Hugh Oliver Cook. He was the principal of Lincoln High School for many years. They married in 1920. Myrtle became a stepmother to his young sons.

In 1944, the Cooks moved to Los Angeles. Hugh O. Cook passed away there in 1949. Myrtle Foster Cook died in Los Angeles in 1951, when she was 81 years old. She left behind a legacy of hard work and dedication to helping others.