Women’s History Month

Mary Cooke Branch Munford

Born in Richmond near the end of the Civil War, Mary Cooke Branch Munford loved education. She attended the finest schools in New York and Virginia, but her widowed mother denied her higher education. Munford wanted to learn, so she read many books on philosophy and economics to satisfy her craving for knowledge.

Her husband, a lawyer and eventual state senator whom she married in 1893, shared her social concerns. They both attended conferences of the Southern Education Board.

During the early 1900s, Virginia had four state-supported colleges for men. However, only normal schools were provided for women, and they were not accredited. To combat the inequality, Munford campaigned the General Assembly in 1910 to establish a college for women in conjunction with the University of Virginia. Her bill was voted down, but in 1918, the College of William and Mary began to admit women. Munford became the first woman to serve on its board of visitors. In that same year she also became the first woman to serve on the Democratic National Committee.

She served on the Richmond School Board from 1920 to 1931. She strived to improve rural schools, teacher training and vocational education. She helped Janie Porter Barrett establish the Virginia Industrial School for Colored Girls and served as a board trustee. Munford’s other positions include serving as a trustee for the National Urban League and Fisk University.

Munford was also involved in the woman’s club movement, which was a means to culturally stimulate women. She helped found the Woman’s Club of Richmond and became its president. The group’s projects included suffrage and public affairs.

Richmond Public Schools’ Mary Munford Elementary School on Westmoreland Street honors the famous woman.