Margaret Lee Caution
Marker is located on the Northwest Corner of Indiana and Baltic Avenues.
Marker text:
1907-1993 |
Additional information: Several Atlantic City residents, whether they knew it or not, owed their jobs to Margaret Caution. Her position with Governor Driscoll's Civil Rights Task Force often found her at odds with many city officials, fighting for issues which affected people statewide. The most major of these was her quest to ensure that more equal employment practices were followed. She encouraged the local Republican party to hire more black citizens in the police and fire departments, and even successfully appealed a state agency's overlooking of a highly-qualified job applicant from the Northside in favor of white applicants with fewer credentials and less experience. Caution also pushed for the adoption of the New Jersey Public Accommodations Act of 1953, which would fine Boardwalk hotels if they were found in violation of the law stating that rooms could not be refused to black guests. It was said that Caution was so driven in her quest to get qualified black applicants into positions they deserved that the city's Public Safety Director, William Cuthbert, used to hide when he knew she was coming. Caution, however, often caught Cuthbert in his attempts to sneak away, and suceeded in getting him to hire black citizens. |
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Margaret Caution. (101 Women Plus, Inc. 1995 calendar. Atlantic City Heritage Collections, Atlantic City Free Public Library) |
For more information, see these resources in the Atlantic City Free Public Library, Atlantic City Heritage Collections: Local History Biography Files - Margaret Caution |