Margaret Agnes Milburn Amidon (January 21, 1827 – December 3, 1869) was a teacher and principal in Southwest Washington, D.C. She was the principal of Female Grammar School from 1854 until her death in 1869. She was born in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

to George and Alice Milburn in 1827, the fifth of seven children. Both of her parents died before she was twelve, and she was raised by a step-mother. She was baptized into the New Jerusalem—Swedenborgian—Church. She was tutored privately and started offering her own tutoring services when she was sixteen. In 1849 she got a job working at a primary school in the fourth district of Washington, D.C., and also converted to the

Baptist Church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

. In 1854 she was promoted to principal of a grammar school in the district where she taught girls only. On weekends she taught Sunday school. At the time, public schools were looked down upon as places for people who could not afford private tutoring for their children. Amidon was one of the people responsible for changing that reputation in her district. From a memorial address after her passing, by Samuel Yorke AtLee: In December 1862, she married Hollis Amidon. She died in 1869 of tuberculosis. She is buried in Glenwood Cemetery. After her death a commemorative book was published: ''In memoriam. Proceedings commemorative of the life and services of Mrs. Margaret Milburn-Amidon, late principal of the Female grammar school in the Fourth district, Washington city, D.C.'' In 1882 Amidon Elementary School was built in Southwest Washington in her honor and remained open until 1957. The Amidon Promenade and Amidon-Bowen Elementary School are named for her. In 2003 the District of Columbia Council voted to recognize June 19 as "Amidon Elementary School Graduation Ceremony Day" in Washington D.C.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amidon, Margaret M. 1827 births 1869 deaths 19th-century American educators 19th-century American women educators 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis People from Alexandria, Virginia Tuberculosis deaths in Washington, D.C. Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)