Judith Ann Carter Horton

Judith Ann Carter Horton (May 17, 1866 – February 16, 1948) was an American educator, librarian, and community leader who founded the first public library for African Americans in Oklahoma.

Early life and education Judith Ann Carter was born May 17, 1866, in Wright City, Missouri. Her parents were recently freed enslaved people and she attended school for the first time at age ten. She saved enough money to begin attending Oberlin Academy in 1884, and graduated from Oberlin College with a teaching degree in 1891. The Excelsior Library was opened in 1908 and operated out of a two-story home for forty years, serving as a community gathering place and educational hub. Though it was soon incorporated into the Guthrie Public Library system, the library was provided only half as much funding as its white counterpart, the Guthrie Carnegie Library.