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For the New York criminal, see Margaret Brown.

Margaret Brown was played by Kathy Bates in the 1997 film Titanic. For the character in Titanic, see Margaret "Molly" Brown.

Margaret Brown (right) giving Captain Arthur Henry Rostron an award for his service in the rescue of the Titanic

Margaret Tobin Brown (July 18, 1867 – October 26, 1932), more widely known as Maggie Brown or Molly Brown, was an American socialite, philanthropist, and activist who became famous as one of the survivors of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. She became known after her death as The Unsinkable Molly Brown, although she was never called Molly during her life.

Margaret Tobin was born July 19, 1870^[1] in Hannibal, Missouri, one of six children of Irish immigrants. At age 18, she moved to Leadville, Colorado, with her sister, obtaining a job in a department store. It was here she met and married James Joseph Brown (J.J.), an enterprising, self-educated man, in 1886. Brown had always planned to marry a rich man but she married J.J. for love. She said, "I wanted a rich man, but I loved Jim Brown. I thought about how I wanted comfort for my father and how I had determined to stay single until a man presented himself who could give to the tired old man the things I longed for him. Jim was as poor as we were, and had no better chance in life. I struggled hard with myself in those days. I loved Jim, but he was poor. Finally, I decided that I'd be better off with a poor man whom I loved than with a wealthy one whose money had attracted me. So I married Jim Brown."

It was also in Leadville that she first became involved in women's rights, helping to establish the Colorado chapter of the National American Women's Suffrage Association, and worked in soup kitchens to assist miners' families. The family came into great wealth when J.J's engineering efforts proved instrumental in the production of a substantial gold and copper seam at the Little Jonny mine of his employers, Ibex Mining Company, and he was awarded 12,500 shares of stock and a seat on the board.

In 1894, the Browns moved to Denver, Colorado, which gave the family more social opportunities. Margaret became a charter member of the Denver Woman's Club, whose mission was the improvement of women's lives through continuing education and philanthropy. In 1901, she was one of the first students to enroll at the Carnegie Institute in New York. Adjusting to the trappings of a society lady, Brown became well-immersed in the arts and fluent in French, German, and Russian. In 1909 and 1914 she ran for Congress; she also assisted in the fundraising for Denver's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception which was completed in 1912. Margaret also worked with Judge Lindsey to help destitute children and establish the United States' first juvenile court which helped form the basis of the modern U.S. juvenile courts system. Her lifelong career as a human and labor rights advocate earned her prominence in the aftermath of the Ludlow Massacre in Trinidad, Colorado in 1914.

Margaret and J.J. privately separated in 1909, but stayed connected and cared for each other. He died in 1922.

The Browns' first child, Lawrence Palmer Brown, was born on August 30, 1887 in Hannibal, Missouri. Their second child, Catherine Ellen Brown, nicknamed Helen, was born on July 1, 1889 in Leadville, Colorado.

Margaret was on a European tour with her daughter Helen in April 1912 when she learned that her first grandson, Lawrence, was ill. She immediately booked first class passage back to the U.S. on the first ship that was available, the Titanic. When the ship collided with the iceberg and began to sink, she helped many others to the lifeboats before being forced into one herself. Once on the water, she demanded that women be allowed to row as well as men, she and the other women in lifeboat no. 6 worked together to row and keep spirits up despite the alleged panic and gloom of Quartermaster Robert Hichens. After being rescued by the RMS Carpathia, Brown helped prepare lists of those who had been rescued, acted as an interpreter for other survivors, and headed the Titanic Survivors' Committee, a group of wealthy survivors which raised funds to help those less fortunate among surviving passengers and crew. The Committee collected $10,000 from survivors and Carpathia passengers by the time the ship made port in New York City. She later raised funds to reward Captain Rostron and his crew; she personally presented Rostron with a loving cup on behalf of the Titanic survivors in New York City. The media acclaimed her as one of the heroines of the hour for both her grace under pressure and her useful contributions. She was quoted as saying that her survival was attributable to "typical Brown luck... we're unsinkable". She later became known as the Unsinkable Molly Brown.

She was also one of those behind the creation of the Titanic Memorial in New York City.

Her fame as a prominent Titanic survivor helped her promote the issues she felt deeply about - the rights of workers and women, education and literacy for children, and historic preservation. During World War I in France she worked with the American Committee for Devastated France to rebuild areas behind the front line, and helped wounded French and American soldiers. She was awarded the French Legion of Honour shortly before her death for her "overall good citizenship" including her relief work in France, her efforts for Titanic survivors, and her activism and philanthropy at home in America.

Margaret Tobin Brown died of a brain tumor on October 26, 1932, at age 65.

• The Unsinkable Molly Brown - a 1960 musical loosely based on the life of Margaret Brown.

• Kristen Iversen and Muffet Brown: Molly Brown: Unraveling the Myth Johnson Books, 1999 ISBN 1-55566-237-4.

• Margaret Brown at Encyclopedia Titanica
• Molly Brown On Titanic-Titanic.com
• List of passengers and crew of RMS Titanic