In 1920, Mayesville native Mary McLeod Bethune founded Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona, Florida. In 1935, Bethune was named as head of the Division of Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration. She became the first African-American woman to run a federal agency.
As one of the earlier Civil Rights leaders, Mary McLeod Bethune used her friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt to persuade President Roosevelt to create opportunities for African Americans in the military, which was totally segregated.
