Born: February 14, 1895
Died: June 14, 1954
Married: Sam A. Lewisohn
Children: Marjorie Lewisohn, Mrs. Sidney Simon, Mrs. Julian Eisenstein, and Sarah Lewisohn Kahn
Margaret Seligman Lewisohn was a philanthropist, art collector, and college trustee. She was a daughter of Isaac Newton and Greta (Loeb) Seligman. Lewisohn came from a prominent German Jewish family.
She studied music at the Institute of Musical Art (which became Juilliard), earning a degree in 1914. She also pursued course work at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she became interested John Dewey's ideas on progressive education ideas. Her interest in education was, in part, an outgrowth of her family’s long-standing connection to the Ethical Culture School. At the same time, Lewisohn worked at the Hudson Guild Settlement House, where she also performed as a pianist.
Margaret Lewisohn was married to Sam A. Lewisohn, son of Adolph Lewisohn, benefactor of City College and other major New York cultural institutions, on February 2, 1918. The couple collected major works of art, including a substantial number from the modern period. They resided on East End Avenue in Manhattan and in Harrison, New York.
