16 years younger than her brother Duke Ellington, Ruth, planned to teach biology, graduating in 1939 from Columbia. She spent time in Europe studying languages and writing a thesis comparing the teaching of biology in NYC and Paris. (She stayed in Paris with Josephine Baker, a close friend of her brother.)
Ruth was a duchess in her own right. The only sibling of jazz musician "Duke" Ellington, Boatwright served as president of her brother's Tempo Music company since its founding in 1941. Her duties included signing contracts, arranging travel, and keeping Ellington's music copyrighted. After his death in 1974, Boatwright maintained Tempo Music until 1995, when she sold 51% of the company to a New York publisher.
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