Each week, the Archives features a woman who has been a groundbreaker at the Smithsonian, past or present, in a series titled Wonderful Women Wednesday.
Betty J. Morgan was one of the first women to serve in a management role at the Smithsonian. Though hired as a clerk-typist, Morgan worked her way to a position as head of the Institution’s fiscal division from 1966 until 1968.
During this period, her title was “assistant” treasurer, even though there was no one in the department who ranked above her. The men who headed that office before and after Morgan were each granted the title of treasurer. Morgan retired in 1977 after 30 years at the Smithsonian and won the Secretary’s Gold Medal for Exceptional Service, the highest honor awarded to Smithsonian staff.
Morgan was a graduate of Benjamin Franklin University. She was a past president of the American Legion Post No. 350 and a member of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs.
Related Resources
- Smithsonian Institution, Office of the Treasurer, Acc. T91014, Smithsonian Institution Archives
- “Betty J. Morgan,” obituary, The Torch, December 1988