This Week in Women’s Business History

September 14 – 20

Sept. 14, 1950
Julia Hughes Coleman Robinson dies. Two years after Hughes earned a doctorate at Howard University’s Pharmaceutical College, she opened a drug store, the Hughes Pharmacy, in Philadelphia. A serial entrepreneur, she opened another pharmacy after moving to Newport News, VA, then a hair care business which she operated for nearly thirty years.

Sept. 15, 1930
Patsy O’Connell Sherman is born. She was a chemist, inventor, and laboratory manager.

Sept. 16, 1875
Vira Boarman Whitehouse is born. She bought a small leather products company in 1921 and operated it for eight years.

Sept. 17, 1919
Donnelly Garment Co. was incorporated in Kansas City, MO by Nell Donnelly to manufacture Donnelly’s dress designs.

Sept. 18, 1920
Cecilia Sun Yun Chiang is born. She was a restaurateur known particularly for The Mandarin which she opened in San Francisco in 1961.

Sept. 19, 1870
Josephine B. Doud is born. She founded Indianapolis’s Betsy Ross Candy Shops.

Sept. 20, 1972
Dorothy Liebes dies. Liebes was a textile artist and designer whose firm, Dorothy Liebes Design Inc., not only fulfilled commissions for commercial fabrics from architects and businesses, but also tested synthetic fibers for corporate clients like Dow, Dupont, and carpeting giant Bigelow-Sanford.

Last week in women’s business history

Sept. 7, 1913
Eve Byron Wyatt is born. She built a million-dollar insurance agency selling life insurance to businesswomen.

Sept. 8, 1882
Ezella Mathis Carter is born. She created a beauty salon and hair care company for Black women, the Carter System.

Sept. 9, 1982
Daphne Robert Leeds dies. An attorney, Leeds worked for Coca-Cola, often handling intellectual property. After writing a book on trademark law, she served as Assistant Commissioner of Patents in charge of trademarks for US Patent Office from 1953 until 1959.

Sept. 10, 1980
Virginia Kirkus dies. In 1926, Kirkus founded Harper & Brothers children’s book department. After leaving Harper, Kirkus created the Kirkus Review, a bimonthly book review service for bookshops.

Sept. 11, 1918
Estelle Axton is born. She co-founded Stax Records and the Satellite Record Store with her brother, Jim Stewart.

Sept. 12, 1869
Emilie Bullowa is born. An attorney by profession, Bullowa was founder and the first president of National Association of Women Lawyers.

Sept. 13, 1949
The formation of the Ladies Professional Golf Association is announced with Patty Berg as its first president.