Carrie Burton Overton
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July 20, 1888
Carrie Burton Overton | |
|---|---|
 Carrie Burton Overton, from a 1927 publication | |
| Born | Carrie R. Burton July 20, 1888 Wyoming Territory |
| Died | December 1975 (age 87) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, stenographer |
| Known for | First Black female student at the University of Wyoming (1903-1907) |
Carrie R. Burton Overton (July 20, 1888 – December 1975) was an American musician and stenographer. She was the first Black woman to enroll and study at the University of Wyoming, beginning in 1903.
Carrie Burton was born in Wyoming Territory and raised in Laramie, the daughter of John R. Burton and Catherine Burton Price.[1] Her stepfather Thomas Price was a former Buffalo Soldier. She had an older half-brother, Benny, who drowned when Carrie was 12 years old.[2]
Carrie Burton was the first Black female student to enroll at the University of Wyoming, in 1903, when she was fifteen years old. She earned a stenography certificate and studied piano. She attended Howard University beginning in 1908, with financial help from Jane Ivinson, a white philanthropist who organized a benefit concert for Burton. She earned a music diploma at Howard in 1913, and pursued further studies at the Juilliard School, where she earned a diploma in 1941. She earned a bachelor's degree in 1947 and a master's degree in 1948, both from Columbia University.[3]