Margery Pitt Durant (May 24, 1887 – February 3, 1969) was the daughter of businessman and

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

founder, Billy Durant. She was notable for authoring a book about her father, her contributions to increasing travel abroad via aviation, photographing her aviation adventures, and for being a socialite.

Early life

Margery Pitt Durant was born on May 24, 1887, in the city of

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

. She was the daughter of William Crapo Durant and Clara Miller Pitt Durant. Growing up, Durant attended schools in Michigan, New York, and Washington D.C.

My Father

In 1929, Durant published My Father, the book about her father William Crapo Durant. He was still alive at age 65 when the book was released. In the opening of the book, she wrote of her first "horseless carriage" ride. Upon her return, her father, the future founder of General Motors said, "Margery, how could you - how could you be so foolish to risk your life in one of those things." Margery wrote about her father with anecdotes from him, but a lot was written through her viewpoint.

Aviation

In the early thirties, Durant advocated for

private aviation Private aviation is the part of civil aviation that does not include flying for hire, as opposed to commercial aviation. Definition Private aviation and commercial aviation are not rigorously defined. In general, private aviation is regarded a ...

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...

gave her the name of a reputable pilot who assisted her in learning to fly. She later bought her own airplane, a

Lockheed Vega The Lockheed Vega is an American five- to seven-seat high-wing monoplane airliner built by the Lockheed Corporation starting in 1927. It became famous for its use by a number of record-breaking pilots who were attracted to the rugged and very l ...

. In 1931 Durant had her aircraft transported across the Atlantic aboard the

ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...

''S.S. Hamburg'' so she could fly over different countries in Europe and Africa. While there, she took a number of photographs of her travels which are occasionally displayed today.

Personal life

Durant married a doctor and associate of her father, Edwin Rutheven Campbell (1868–1929), on April 18, 1906, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Flint, Michigan. She had

William Durant Campbell William Durant Campbell (March 18, 1907 – October 20, 1995) was a highly-decorated leader of the Scouting movement in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Campbell was born in Flint, Michigan, a grandson of William C. Durant, the founder of General Mo ...

in 1907 and Margery Edwina Campbell (later Mrs. Grant Sanger) in 1909 with him. They divorced in 1919. She then married a banker,

Robert Williams Daniel Robert Williams Daniel (September 11, 1884 – December 20, 1940) was an American banker who survived the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' in 1912, and later became a gentleman farmer and served in the Virginia Senate. Early and family life ...

, a ''Titanic'' survivor and business associate of her father. Their marriage was shorter than her first, but she had her last child, Margery Randolph Daniel, with him in 1924. In 1926 the couple bought Brandon Plantation in

Prince George County, Virginia Prince George County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,010. Its county seat is Prince George. Prince George County is located within the Greater Richmond Region of the U.S. stat ...

, and restored its historic mansion but they soon divorced. In 1929, she was married to John Hampton Cooper. However, in My Father, she acknowledges Fitzhugh Green, an explorer and Naval Commander, for "making the book possible." She married him in 1933. The year of 1947 created quite some turmoil for Durant. Her father died that year. In September, she and Fitzhugh Green were charged for

opiate An opiate, in classical pharmacology, is a substance derived from opium. In more modern usage, the term ''opioid'' is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors in the brain (including antagonis ...

possession. A few months later, Fitzhugh died leaving Margery a widow. Durant died on February 3, 1969, in Florida.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durant, Margery Aviators from Michigan American socialites Writers from Michigan 1887 births 1969 deaths