Office of the Saratoga County Historian
Thomas and Alice Luther, owners of the White Sulphur Spring Hotel, had two children; Thomas Frederick Luther was born in 1896 and was followed by a sister, Margaret Clement Luther, in 1902.
As the only daughter of the proprietor of a popular resort, Margaret was the center of attention each summer. Although she later described herself as a shy little girl who hid behind her parents when guests wanted to take her picture, she was not too shy to sell tickets for the Jack Dempsey exhibition fights that were held at the White Sulphur Spring’s boxing ring. Other champions who trained at her father’s hotel were Gene Tunney and Pancho Villa. She also meet Maye Murray, Tom Mix and Ward Crane (top box office silent movie stars), authors Edna Ferber, Paul Gallico, Damon Runyon and Ring Lardner, and Governor Lehman, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt and Mrs. Al Smith.
Margaret attended the same one room school house her grandmother Clements had attended seventy years prior and then boarded in Saratoga, graduating from Saratoga High School in 1920. After high school, Margaret attended the Rogers Hall School for Girls in Lowell, MA, a very prestigious finishing school.
After Rogers Hall, she attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. The Conservatory of Music is the oldest independent school of music in the nation and was widely recognized as the most distinguished. Candidates are admitted only after passing a competitive audition. Margaret studied piano there from 1923 to 1926 while continuing to attend numerous operas, plays, and other musical performances.
Margaret traveled extensively with her parents, acting as chauffer on cross country jaunts. She also accompanied them on a 38,000 mile, eighteen country trip that lasted from November 10, 1927 to April 3, 1928 and was described in her father’s book The Luther Trio Round the World.
After her father’s death, Margaret inherited one quarter of his estate and played an active role in all family business decisions. She also managed the family business while her brother was away during World War II.
Margaret never married and had no children. She died in 1997 and is buried with her parents.