| Maria Perkins Lawton | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Alma Mater: | Richmond Institute, Howard University |
| Occupation: | Organizer, lecturer |
Maria Coles Perkins Lawton (April 30, 1864 – 1946) was a notable figure in the national women’s club movement of the early 20th century. She was the president of the Empire State Federation of Women's Clubs from 1916 to 1926.[1]
Lawton was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, on April 30, 1864.[2] She attended Lynchburg High School, the Richmond Institute in Richmond, Virginia, and Howard University in Washington, DC.[2]
In 1886 she married William Rufus Lawton, and they raised seven children.[1] In 1892 the Lawtons moved to Brooklyn, New York. There, William pursued his career as a civil servant for New York City and also served as a Presbyterian minister at several churches in the New York/New Jersey area. Maria became a reporter for the Brooklyn newspaper, the Standard Union.[2]
The couple were both active in the Brooklyn African-American community.[2]
Lawton became active in the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs. She was a strong believer in organizing to improve the lives of African-American women and children.[2]
With the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, Lawson became involved with politics, specifically the League of Republican Colored Women.[2]
Lawton was also involved in the labor movement in the 1920s. In 1924 she was the representative on the state of New York at the Labor Conference of Women.[2]
Maria Perkins Lawton died in 1946, surviving her husband by two years.[2]
She is the namesake of the Empire State Federation of Women’s Clubs Albany chapter, the "Maria C. Lawton Civic and Cultural Club".[1]