Margaret Dreier Robins

Margaret Dreier Robins (6 September 1868 – 21 February 1945) was an American labor leader and philanthropist. Early life She was born in Brooklyn, New York on 6 September 1868. Her parents, Theodor Dreier, a successful businessman, and Dorthea Dreier, were both immigrants from Germany. Her mother's maiden name was Dreier and her parents were cousins from Bremen, Germany. Their ancestors were civic leaders and merchants. Theodor came to the United States in 1849 and became partner of the English iron firm of Naylor, Benson and Company's New York branch. He married Dorothea in 1864 during a visit to Bremen and brought her back with him to the United States and they lived in a brownstone house in Brooklyn Heights, New York. Margaret Dreier had a brother and three sisters. Her sister Mary was a social reformer. Her sisters Dorothea and Katherine were painters. She was privately educated because her parents believed that the study of the arts was too often neglected in traditional education. In her teens, Robins suffered from physical ailments which left her depressed and weak.