Carrie A. Tuggle

Carrie A. Tuggle (May 28, 1858 – November 5, 1924) was an American educator, philanthropist, and social activist. After emancipation, she sought for equality in education, and the right to exercise voting rights in Birmingham, Alabama. She established Tuggle Institute, a local boarding school for Black children who were destitute orphans and juvenile defendants and were given free education. The Tuggle Institute functioned with support from the Order of Calanthe and the Knights and Ladies of Honor of Alabama.

Early life Tuggle was born on May 28, 1858, at Eufaula, Alabama. Her parents were a former slave and a Mohawk Indian chief. Though born into slavery in dire conditions, she rose to become a leader among the Black community of Birmingham. She married John Tuggle, a native of Columbus Ohio, and moved to Birmingham in the early 1900s, in search of better economic opportunities and a social life. The couple had four children.