Marguerite Thomas Williams (1895-ca. 1991)

November 15, 2017

/ Contributed By: Sara Diaz

THIS ENTRY IS SPONSORED BY SCOTT ALLARD

Marguerite Thomas Williams teaching at Miner's Teacher's College|

Courtesy University of District of Columbia

Marguerite Thomas Williams, born in 1895, was the first African American (male or female) to earn a Ph.D. in geology. Like Roger Arliner Young, Williams was mentored by African American biologist Ernest Everett Just.

Williams earned her bachelor’s degree in geology from Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 1923. Just considered Williams for a position at the University but chose to award it to Roger Arliner Young. However, Williams found work as an assistant professor at Miner Teacher’s College in Washington, D.C., where she was chair of the Division of Geography between 1923 and 1933. She was allowed a leave of absence so that she could pursue a master’s degree at Columbia University, which she received in 1930. She continued teaching at Miner for a decade before she earned her doctorate in geology from Catholic University in 1942. Her dissertation titled “The Study of the History of Erosion in the Anacostia Drainage Basin” examined a local geological feature.

After Williams earned her Ph.D., she was promoted to full professor at Miner. Her career focused on teaching rather than research. Williams taught classes in geography and the social sciences and taught night courses at Howard. She retired in 1955.

Author Profile

Sara Diaz

Sara Diaz holds a B.A. in chemistry and Spanish language and literature from Whitman College. She worked for several years in the biotechnology industry as an engineer before pursuing her graduate studies at the University of Washington. In 2007, she earned her M.A. in the history of science and twentieth-century U.S. history. Diaz is holds a Bank of America Endowed Minority Fellowship through the UW Graduate Opportunities & Minority Achievement Program and is currently working on her Ph.D. in Women Studies. In her research Diaz examines the strategies and struggles women scientists of color. Her interests include scientists of color, science education; and the social study of the institution of science with respect to race, gender, sexuality, and power. Diaz is a member of the Diversity Committee of the Student Section of the Society for the Social Studies of Science (4s) and serves as the Graduate and Professional Student Senate representative to the Faculty Council on Multicultural Affairs. She is also a participant in the University of Washington Science Studies Network and the Sloan Social Science Research Group.

Categories:
African American History People

Tags:
20th Century (1900-1999) Gender - Women Occupation - Educator - Professor STEM - Educators STEM - Science - Geology STEM - Scientists United States-Washington D.C

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CITE THIS ENTRY IN APA FORMAT:

Diaz, S. (2017, November 15). Marguerite Thomas Williams (1895-ca. 1991). BlackPast.org. https://new.blackpast.org/african-american-history/williams-marguerite-thomas-1895-1991/

Source of the Author's Information:

Wini Warren, “Marguerite Thomas Williams: Geologist,” in Black Women Scientists in the United States (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1999); https://webfiles.uci.edu/mcbrown/display/marguerite_williams.html.