Marguerite Souther

Marguerite Souther
Marguerite Souther, from the 1904 yearbook of Smith College
Born(1882-04-03)April 3, 1882
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJuly 15, 1975(1975-07-15) (aged 93)
Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationsDance educator, community leader
RelativesJohn Souther (grandfather)

Marguerite "Rita" P. Souther (April 3, 1882 – July 15, 1975) was an American dance educator and community leader, based all her life in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood.

Early life and education

Souther was born in Jamaica Plain, the daughter of Charles Henry Souther and Mary Louisa Wheelock Souther. Her grandfather was engineer and inventor John Souther.[1] She graduated from Smith College in 1904.[2]

Career

Souther began offering dance lessons after college; these soon grew into society dance classes at Eliot Hall in Jamaica Plain,[3] popular for children and young adults from elite families.[4][5] Her classes also included instruction on dress, diet, and etiquette.[6] She retired from teaching in the 1960s, leaving the school to her niece, Barbara Southern Cooke.[7] In 1962, she was honored with a surprise party attended by her former students.[8]

Souther was a familiar and respected figure in Jamaica Plain, beyond the dance classroom. She was a member of the Tuesday Club,[9] and provided collateral to save the Loring–Greenough House from demolition in 1924.[10][11][12] She was a volunteer librarian at Faulkner Hospital.[13] She donated her grandfather's papers to the National Museum of American History,[14] and made other donations to the Boston Athenaeum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Personal life and legacy

Souther died in 1975, at the age of 93, in Newton.[15] Her family's estate is now the site of a retirement community.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Mittell, David A. (2005-04-14). "Dancing School of Miss Marguerite Souther (2003)". Jamaica Plain Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2024-09-04. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  2. ^ Smith College, Class of 1904 (1904 yearbook): 39, via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ "Footlight Club (Eliot Hall)". Your Audio Tour. Archived from the original on 2025-11-26. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  4. ^ Liston, Carol (1971-10-13). "The Status of Boston Society; Debs' Dance Tune Fading". The Boston Globe. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-10-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Their Thanks to Miss Souther". The Boston Globe. 1966-04-26. p. 46. Retrieved 2025-10-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Arnold, Alison (1974-05-19). "A tradition that won't die". The Boston Globe. p. 194. Retrieved 2025-10-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Arnold, Alison (1974-05-19). "A tradition that won't die". The Boston Globe. p. 194. Retrieved 2025-10-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Sherman, Marjorie W. (1962-05-03). "Society: Miss Souther Honored by Former Students". The Boston Globe. p. 38. Retrieved 2025-10-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Marx, Walter H. "Jamaica Plain's Role in the 19th Century Back Bay Fill (1993)". Jamaica Plain Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2008-07-25. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  10. ^ "The Tuesday Club". Boston Women's Heritage Trail. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  11. ^ "Marguerite Souther to Jamaica Plain Tuesday Club, Incorporated, quitclaim deed". Digital Commonwealth: Massachusetts Collections Online. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  12. ^ Clark, Dorothy A. "The Historic Act of Saving the Loring Greenough House" Archived 2024-06-12 at the Wayback Machine Loring Greenough (July 29, 2019).
  13. ^ Marcus, Cara (2010). Faulkner Hospital. Arcadia Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-7385-7324-3.
  14. ^ "John Souther Collection". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  15. ^ "Marguerite Souther, taught dancing to 3 generations". The Boston Globe. 1975-07-17. p. 52. Retrieved 2025-10-22 – via Newspapers.com.
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