Unsinkable and Unstoppable: The True Story of Margaret “Molly” Brown
Margaret Tobin Brown, famously known as the “Unsinkable Molly Brown,” is often celebrated in popular culture for her flamboyant personality and heroic actions on the Titanic. However, this portrayal barely scratches the surface of her remarkable life and achievements. While she is invariably portrayed as an outspoken, humorous, flamboyant woman of America’s West, these depictions, though rooted in truth, do a disservice to the complexity and depth of her character and contributions.
Born in 1867 in Hannibal, Missouri, to Irish immigrants John and Johanna Tobin, Margaret Tobin Brown was raised in a small Irish American community that deeply valued freedom, equality, and education. Unusually for the time, Margaret attended school until the age of 13, receiving what would be considered a high school education by today’s standards.
Upon leaving school, Margaret directly experienced the hardships faced by the working class, enduring long hours, meager pay, and job insecurity in a factory. These challenges were all too familiar to her community and her father. Like many young people of her era, she was drawn westward in search of better opportunities. Yet, the values instilled in her by the Irish Catholic community of her childhood fueled a lifelong zeal for personal development and active engagement in societal issues.
Margaret traveled to Leadville, Colorado, where she met and married James Joseph (J.J.) Brown. J.J.’s journey mirrored Margaret’s born of Irish immigrants and through self-study, he was recognized for his “special genius for practical and economic geology” and built a reputation for locating profitable mines. Utilizing his geological knowledge and innovating new mining methods, J.J. discovered vast quantities of high-grade copper and gold, marking one of the most significant gold strikes ever recorded.
As multimillionaires, J.J. and Margaret bought a new, stately home in the rapidly developing city of Denver. However, their newfound wealth and Irish Catholic heritage did not smooth their entry into Denver’s social circles. The self-appointed gatekeeper of Denver society, Louise Hill, and her “Sacred Thirty-Six” never accepted Margaret, prompting her to label Hill as “the snobbiest woman in Denver.”
If Margaret Brown was stung by these elitists, it didn’t show for long. She founded the Denver Woman’s Club, which, instead of playing bridge like the “Sacred Thirty-Six,” advocated for education, suffrage, and human rights. In 1911, she raised funds to build the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph’s Hospital, and several Catholic and public elementary schools. She also worked with Judge Ben Lindsey to establish the first juvenile court in America, a model that was adopted nationwide. Additionally, she became fluent in French, German, Italian, and Russian.
Sadly, J.J. did not share Margaret’s growing interests, and the couple drifted apart after 23 years of marriage. They signed a separation agreement, though they never divorced, and remained very close throughout their lives.
Margaret embarked on a tour of Egypt, Rome, and Paris. While on tour, she received news that her grandson had become seriously ill. She immediately booked passage on the first available ship, the Titanic.
The story of the tragedy of the Titanic need not be repeated here. Upon the collision with the iceberg, Margaret immediately began organizing and assisting her fellow passengers into the lifeboats until a crewman took hold of her and, with the words “you are going too,” was dropped four feet into the lowering lifeboat #6.
Despite Lifeboat #6’s capacity of 65, it departed from the Titanic with only 24 people aboard, including 21 women, two men, and a boy. Despite threatening the coxswain to “throw him overboard” if he did not turn around and pick up more survivors, her threat went unheeded as he feared the boat would capsize as those in the water tried to get in. Margaret and the rest rowed tirelessly for hours until rescued by the ship Carpathia. Exhausted yet undeterred, Margaret utilized her multilingual skills to comfort non-English speaking survivors and helped organize the distribution of essential supplies to those in need. Margaret spearheaded a fundraising campaign among the first-class passengers, amassing $10,000 to aid the less fortunate survivors before arriving in New York.
Margaret became an international celebrity. She was dubbed “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” by the press, though she had never used the name ‘Molly’ in her life. In character with her life, Margaret used her fame not for herself but for others. She was an advocate for striking miners fighting for better pay. She worked to secure the vote for women and even ran for the Senate, where several papers favored her chances, but she quit her campaign with the outbreak of WW I to focus on aiding the people of devastated France, earning the French Legion of Honor for her activities.
Margaret Brown died at the age of 65 in 1932 after experiencing enough to fill several lifetimes. It is very sad that this remarkable Irish American woman who lived a true rags-to-riches story but never forgot where she came from nor turned her back on those less fortunate is remembered chiefly on the basis of Hollywood caricatures. This is why we have Irish American Heritage Month, to learn the rest of the story.
