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Mecklenburg women
Sue Myrick
Born in Ohio, Sue Myrick (1941-) is a former advertising executive who first held political office on Charlotte's City Council from 1983-85. In 1987, Myrick, a Republican, was elected the city's first female mayor and served two terms until 1991. Part of her winning campaign was based on the need to build new roads as Charlotte experienced tremendous growth. In 1994, she won the 9th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She has been a member of the Budget Committee and the Rules Committee. She and her husband, Ed Myrick, have two children.
Mary Van Landingham
Comparing North Carolina's accomplishments to those of prestigious neighbors Virginia and South Carolina, she said in 1900, "Where there are mountains of conceit, there are bound to be valleys of humility." Her famous quote, which she spoke as the first woman ever to address the Mecklenburg Historical Society, has been repeated often. Widely known for her outspoken opinions, this Charlotte native wrote frequently about current and historical events for local and regional newspapers.
Harriet Irwin (nee Morrison)
Harriet Abigail Morrison Irwin (1828-1897) was the first woman architect to patent an architectural plan for a house. The patent, entered in 1869, was a design for a hexagonal house. She used her plan to design and build her house which was located at 912 W. 5th Street in Charlotte. She built at least two other houses in Charlotte. These two houses were built using more conventional designs.
Mary Jackson
Mary Anna Jackson (1831-1915) was the wife of General Thomas Stonewall Jackson. She was born near Charlotte and was educated at Salem Academy from 1847-49. In Virginia, she met Jackson, and they married in 1857. Only one of their children survived infancy.
When the Civil War began, Mrs. Jackson returned to Charlotte. In 1863, General Jackson was mortally wounded in battle. Mrs. Jackson traveled to his bedside and was with him when he died. Mrs. Jackson lived at her Charlotte home on West Trade Street.
Charlotte Kelly
Charlotte Kelly (August 31, 1897 - January 30, 1988) was a professional astronomer. She graduated from Wellsley College in 1919. Her first position was at the Observatory of the Univerity of Virginia's Leander McCormick Observatory. At the Observatory her work involved researching the distance of stars.
Dorothy Masterson
Dorothy Simpson Masterson (July 28, 1897 - March 22, 1991) has been called Charlotte's First Lady of the Theatre. She was an experienced and professionally trained actress. Mrs. Masterson studied drama at the Perry Manville School and studied theatre directing at the Southwestern School of the Theatre in Dallas, Texas. Her acting experience included work in Decatur, Illinois, and in radio shows in Chicago.
Annie Alexander
In an age when opportunities for women were extremely limited, Annie Lowrie Alexander made a place in history. She was the first woman in the South to practice medicine. She was born near Cornelius, N.C., the daughter of a prominent Mecklenburg citizen, Dr. John Brevard Alexander, and his wife, Ann Wall Lowrie. She graduated from the Women's Medical College in Philadelphia in 1884. She taught in Baltimore and received a medical license in 1885, having earned the highest grade in her class of 100 students.
Lillian Arhelger
Lillian Arhelger (1907-1931) was a native of Fredericksburg, Texas. She was a graduate of the University of Texas. She came to Charlotte to join the faculty of Central High School as the coach of girl's sports. Miss Arhelger was a counselor for the Girl Scout troop at Myers Park Presbyterian church. On June 21, 1931, while on a trip to Glen Burnie Falls in the North Carolina mountains, she was killed in an attempt to save a young camper who had fallen into the water. In recognition of Arhelger's heroism, the people of Charlotte raised money to erect a public memorial.
Queen Charlotte
At age 17, Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818) in Germany became the bride of England's King George III. Queen Charlotte bore 15 children, including George IV, who succeeded his father to the throne.
In 1762, settlers in the Carolina colony honored the king's new wife by naming a newly formed county for her homeplace. They called it Mecklenburg. When a town was established within the county in 1768, founders named it Charlotte Town in an attempt to win favor with the crown.She never visited the town named for her.