Martha Lucas Pate
| Martha B. Lucas Pate | |
|---|---|
| 4th President of Sweet Briar College | |
|
In office 1946–1950 |
|
| Preceded by | Meta Glass |
| Succeeded by | Anne Gary Pannell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 27, 1912 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | May 16, 1983 (aged 70) New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
Goucher College George Washington University University of London |
| Profession | educator, administrator, philanthropist |
Dr. Martha B. Lucas Pate (November 27, 1912 - May 16, 1983) was a Kentucky-born administrator of colleges and organizations dedicated to international affairs, education, humanitarian aid, and religion. She was best known for her tenure as the fourth president of Sweet Briar College from 1946 to 1950. After it refused to integrate (though it would in 1966 after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965 and litigation), she became active in the United Negro College Fund, the Foreign Policy Association, the Council on Religion and International Affairs, the Fund for Theological Education, the Institute for International Education, the Fund for Peace, and the New York Medical College, to name a few. She spent the last few years of her life lobbying against nuclear weapons.
Martha Lucas was born in Louisville, Kentucky on November 27, 1912. Her father, Robert H. Lucas, was a lawyer who briefly served as the United States Commissioner of Internal Revenue (1929–1930). He was also an executive director of the Republican National Committee, and unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1936. Lucas spoke of highly of her father in interviews and in writing over the years, referring to him as "a political leader." Her mother was Gertrude Lasch Lucas. Lucas attended J.M. Atherton High School - a high school for women - in Louisville, graduating in 1929.
Lucas began her college studies at Vassar College in 1931, but transferred to Goucher College, graduating from there in 1933 with honors and a degree in English. She earned her master's degree in Philosophy in 1935 from George Washington University. From 1935 to 1939 Lucas traveled extensively in Europe, studying at the Alliance Francaise and at Sorbonne University in Paris. In 1940 she received her Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of London, having enjoyed studying with students from all over the world. Her years abroad and the friendships she made there significantly influenced her devotion to global issues for the rest of her life.
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