Helen Knox
Giddings, Lee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1885-1959) Historian-financier. One of the few women given athletic letters (in tennis) at the University of Texas. Born in Giddings, daughter of bank president W.A. Knox, she became (1927) manager of women's accounts, Chase National Bank, New York. Known for her writings on banking, she was chairman of finance in restoration of home of Gen. Robert E. Lee; she belonged to Colonial Dames and D.A.R., and was president (1944-46), National Association of Bank Women. Recorded - 1971
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Giddings in 1885, the daughter of a bank president, Helen Knox was among the few women to earn an athletic letter, in tennis, at the University of Texas. By 1927 she was managing women's accounts at Chase National Bank in New York and had become a recognized writer on banking. She led the National Association of Bank Women as president in the mid-1940s and chaired the finance drive to restore Robert E. Lee's home.
Why it matters
Knox was a pioneering woman in American high finance, opening banking as a profession for women at a time when Wall Street offered them few footholds.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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