Christine Benton Cash

Christine Benton Cash (August 9, 1889 – December 12, 1988) was an American educator. She was the principal of the Center Point County Training School in Camp County, Texas from 1911 to 1949, and on the faculties at Bishop College and Jarvis Christian College.

Early life and education Christine Benton was born in Marion County, Texas, the daughter of James Benton and Kizziah Lugenia Dotson Benton. She graduated from Bishop College Academy in 1906, trained as a teacher. She continued her education throughout her career, including summer sessions at Hampton University. She earned a bachelor's degree from Bishop College in 1926, a master's degree from Atlanta University in 1943, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1947, one of the first Black women in Texas to hold a doctorate.

She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta and Pi Lambda Theta.

Cash was involved in statewide committees on curriculum and school reform. She taught education courses at Bishop College from 1948 to 1956. From 1958 to 1965 she was a member of the faculty at Jarvis Christian College, where she chaired the divisions of social sciences and teacher education. Political scientist Mae C. King attended Bishop College, and described Cash as a "very special woman" who "ignited my interest in politics."

Cash was active in church activities, especially the Northeast Texas Baptist Women's Convention, and the Baptist Women's Missionary and Educational Convention of Texas. Personal life Benton married fellow educator Larry Brown Cash in 1909. Cash died in 1988, in Harris County, Texas, at the age of 99. Cash's nephew Marion Meredith Beal received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2012.