She was born in Utica, N. Y. in 1842, the daughter of Daniel M. and Sarah (James) Evans, who had come to the United States from Wales. There were eight children, five daughters and three sons. While she was still a child, the family moved to Minnesota, settling in Winona County and later moving to Faribault, which became their permanent home.
In 1864 she entered Lawrence University at Appleton, Wis. , because it was the only institution in the West at that time where a woman could study Greek. She graduated in 1869 and in 1872 received the degree of M. A.
It was in Winona County that Margaret began her first teaching in a country school. In 1874 she accepted a position on the faculty of Carleton College at Northfield, Minn. There she remained in active service until 1908, with the exception of two years, 1878-79 and 1892-93, spent in study abroad, holding the positions of dean of women and professor of English literature.
Early in the eighties she became interested in club work and founded the Monday Club, long a successful organization. In 1895 she took the leadership in the formation of the Minnesota Federation of Women's Clubs, of which she was elected president. Her interest in the state federation brought her into prominence in the General Federation of Women's Clubs which elected her second vice-president in 1898. She was also chairman of the committee on education of the General Federation and made an intensive study of the needs of the public schools and educational standards throughout the country. For many years she was much in demand for speeches in connection with her club work and other interests but she did little writing. A few of her speeches have been published.
In addition to these activities, she held office in the Minnesota State Art Society and was chairman of the Minnesota State Public Library Commission from 1899 until her death.
She was the president of the Minnesota Congregational Women's Board of Missions from 1879 to 1914 and had the distinction of being the first woman to be elected a corporate member of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.
On November 7, 1914, she was married to the Rev. George Huntington, pastor and professor of rhetoric and Biblical literature at Carleton College, who had long been her colleague, having joined the faculty in 1879.
