Marie Bankhead Owen

Who is Marie Bankhead Owen?

Marie Bankhead Owen was born on the Bankhead Plantation in Noxubee County in the U.S. state of Mississippi. She was Director of the Alabama Department of Archives and History for over three decades, as well as a documentarian of Alabama history who authored numerous books on the subject. Owen served as an advisor for the Federal Writers' Project history of the state. In 1939, Owen helped select the Alabama state motto. She was actively opposed to a Federal mandate giving women the right to vote, and believed in the supremacy of the white race. Owen was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1975.