The Untold Truth Of The Unsinkable Molly Brown

May 2024 · 2 minute read

Undaunted by Louise Hill or anyone else, Margaret Brown continued her philanthropic efforts. In 1901, she dared to run for a seat in the state senate—an outright shocking move even in the budding Edwardian era. J.J. seems to have been especially unnerved by the whole thing, according to the Molly Brown House Museum, which might be why Margaret withdrew from the race. The couple next embarked on an expansive trip around the world, visiting France, India, Ireland, Japan, Russia, and many places in between. The trip refreshed the Brown's marriage to a great extent, and Margaret even wrote some articles detailing India's caste system, which were published in Denver's newspapers. Then in 1903, Mary Ann Tobin, the wife of Margaret's brother Daniel, died in Pueblo according to Leadville's Herald Democrat.  Margaret willingly took in Mary Ann and Daniel's three daughters, raising them as her own.

Family love aside, something was still not right in the Brown house. In 1906, J.J. sold the Avoca Lodge (pictured). He also continued balking at Margaret's outspoken efforts, to the extent that the couple quietly separated in 1909, according to Biography. The agreement was quite amicable, says Britannica, with Margaret retaining ownership of the Brown's Denver property and receiving a trust fund of $25,000 with $700 in monthly distributions.  It was enough for Margaret to continue her work, and she did—even running for Congress several times between 1909 and 1914.

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