Jan. 30, 1919 | Margaret Bush born in St. Louis
Margaret Bush, the second of three children, is born in St. Louis to James T. Bush, a railway postal clerk and real estate broker, and Margaret Casey Bush, a teacher. Both were active in civil rights causes and the NAACP.
1935 | High school and college graduation
Margaret Bush graduates from Sumner High School in St. Louis. She graduates cum laude from Talladega College in Talladega, Ala., with a bachelor's degree in economics and a minor in mathematics in 1940.
1943 | Law school graduation
Margaret Bush graduates from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, becoming the second black woman to practice law in Missouri. She attended Lincoln University because the University of Missouri School of Law did not allow black students to attend at the time. In 1944, she married Robert E. Wilson Jr., a law school classmate.
April 11, 1948 | Missouri Progressive Party
Margaret Bush Wilson is selected as vice chairman of the Missouri Progressive Party.
April 18, 1948 | First political bid
The Progressive Party endorses Margaret Bush Wilson’s 11th District U.S. Representative run. She proposes to “fight for peace, civil liberties and economic democracy.” In October, musician, actor and civil rights champion Paul Robeson campaigned on her behalf. Margaret Bush Wilson lost the Nov. 2, 1948, election to Democrat John B. Sullivan.
1948 | Shelley vs. Kraemer
A team of attorneys, including Margaret Bush Wilson, fights to overtun a law that bars black people from buying homes in certain white-only neighborhoods in Missouri. The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Shelley vs. Kraemer that racially restrictive home covenants are unconstitutional.
April 25, 1951 | FBI file created
The Federal Bureau of Investigation creates a “Communist Index Card” for Margaret Bush Wilson.
1958 | Local NAACP president
Margaret Bush Wilson is elected president of the St. Louis chapter of the NAACP. She served during the Jefferson Bank protests, which opened job opportunities for blacks that were previously only available to whites.
1962 | State NAACP president
Margaret Bush Wilson is elected president of the Missouri state conference of NAACP branches.
1963 | National NAACP board
Margaret Bush Wilson is elected to the national board of the NAACP.
Aug. 30, 1963 | Jefferson Bank & Trust sit-ins
Margaret Bush Wilson assists protesters who were jailed during sit-ins at Jefferson Bank & Trust. The prolonged action seeking white-collar jobs for blacks at the bank was a key event in local civil rights history.
1965 | Wilson loses out on federal job
Margaret Bush Wilson applied for a position with the Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington. An FBI background check noted her past involvement with the Progressive Party and allegations she was a communist. Wilson was dropped from consideration for the job.
Sept. 4, 1969 | Housing program director
Margaret Bush Wilson is named assistant director of the Lawyers for Housing program, which aimed to increase low-income housing in St. Louis and six other cities. It was one of several public service positions she held during the 1960s.
Mar. 21, 1972 | Wilson appointed to crime-fighting agency
Margaret Bush Wilson is appointed to the Missouri Law Enforcement Assistance Council. The council is charged with distributing federal funds throughout Missouri to battle crime.
Jan. 13, 1975 | NAACP board chairwoman
Margaret Bush Wilson becomes the first African American woman to chair the national NAACP board of directors.
Jan. 7, 1976 | U.S. representative in Liberia
President Gerald Ford selects Margaret Bush Wilson to represent the United States at the inauguration of President William R. Tolbert Jr. of Liberia.
Feb. 28, 1977 | Elected to Monsanto board
Margaret Bush Wilson is elected to Monsanto Co.’s board of directors. Wilson would serve on numerous boards for national companies and non-profit organizations including Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, American Red Cross and United Way.
May 21, 1978 | University board of trustees
Margaret Bush Wilson is elected to the board of trustees for Washington University in St. Louis. She also served as board chair of two historically African American institutions, St. Augustine's and Talladega colleges. She was also trustee emeritus at Webster University.
1983 | Wilson out at NAACP
Margaret Bush Wilson is out as chairman of the NAACP after feuding with Executive Director Benjamin L. Hooks over his alledged managerial incompetence. Wilson suspended Hooks only to have the board reverse her decision and strip her of most of her duties.
1991 | Honorary degree
The University of Missouri-St. Louis awards Wilson an honorary degree for her commitment to higher education. Wilson also recieved honorary degrees from several institutions including Washington University, Talladega College, Boston University and Smith College.
1997 | Wilson honored
Margaret Bush Wilson receives the Distinguished Lawyer Award from the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis.
Aug. 11, 2009 | Wilson dies
Margaret Wilson dies of organ failure at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. She was 90.
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