Early Life and Family

Marguerite “Margery” Caldwell was born in 1898 into the Caldwell family of Troy, New York, then prominent both industrially and socially. Her father, James Henry Caldwell, was long active in engineering, business, and civic life. She was raised in a milieu of intellectual, artistic, and cultural engagement, with access to the institutions of Troy and the wider Northeastern United States.

In 1916 she married Livingston Waddell Houston, whose later service as president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute tied her to one of Troy’s foremost educational and civic institutions.

Artistic Pursuits

Margery Houston was active as a painter. She is documented in the regional art historical record as one of the Troy and Rensselaer County artists, and her name appears in artist files held by the Albany Institute of History & Art under local artist rosters. Her involvement in the Troy art milieu included exhibiting work locally; she is listed in historical artist directories of the region, indicating that she was an exhibiting artist, though full catalogues of her shows are less commonly available in published form.

Later Years and Legacy

She lived in Troy during her husband’s academic and institutional career, supporting community and cultural organizations. Her daughters, Margery Christie Houston and Nancy Evans Houston, inherited the legacy of two significant civic families. Margery Caldwell Houston is remembered not just as the wife of a prominent educational leader, but as one of Troy’s early twentieth-century women artists, bridging the intellectual, industrial, and cultural traditions of her era.