gineers; her mill supplied boiler makers in Boston, Baltimore, Albany, New York, and New Orleans. By 1844, she was worth over $60,000. This was a substantial sum in those years (in today’s money—over one billion dollars!). She settled all


of her husband’s debts, paid the balance due on her family’s estate, and rebuilt her mill. In 1859, the Brandywine Iron Works was renamed the Lukens Iron Works. The company that she built, renamed Lukens Steel, continued in existence until 1997.


Maggie Lena Walker, the daughter of a former slave, was a civil rights activist as well as a trailblazing entrepreneur. She was committed to defeating racism, sex- ism, and economic oppression. Walker was active in the Independent Order of St. Luke, an African-American fraternal soci- ety and cooperative venture. This was during a time when women did not have the right to vote and the Jim Crow laws stood as a significant obstacle to economic


Jan/Mar 2014


and social progress for African Ameri- cans.


African American people were encour- aged to follow the creed of self-help and racial solidarity espoused by Booker T. Washington and others. In 1903, be- cause of Walker’s determination that economic advancement would combat the Jim Crow laws, the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank was established in Rich- mond, Virginia. Walker was the first woman of any race to charter a bank and the first to serve as a bank president. She also established a store in 1905 that created jobs for her twenty employees. In 1929-1930, her very successful bank absorbed numerous other banks also es- tablished for African Americans in Rich- mond, Virginia. Renamed the Consoli- dated Bank and Trust Company, she re- linquished the title of President upon the consolidation. She did not leave the or- ganization but served as chairman of the board of directors until her death.


In 1970, at age 47, Gertrude Boyle took over Columbia Sports- wear. Her family had fled Nazi Germany when she was 13, set- tled in Portland, Ore- gon and founded what was then called the Columbia Hat Com- pany. Her husband had served as presi- dent of the company


23 Kalon Women Magazine


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