Mary Elliott Flanery
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April 27, 1867
Mary Elliott Flanery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Mary Elliott April 27, 1867 Carter County, Kentucky |
| Died | July 19, 1933 (aged 66) Catlettsburg, Kentucky |
| Alma mater | University of Kentucky |
| Occupations | Politician, Suffragist, Journalist |
| Spouse |
William Flanery (m. 1893) |
| Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from the 89th district | |
| In office January 1, 1922 – January 1, 1924 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel Vose |
| Succeeded by | Otto C. Gartin |
Mary Elliott Flanery (April 27, 1867 – July 19, 1933) was an American Progressive Era social reformer, suffragist, politician, and journalist who is best remembered as the first woman elected to the Kentucky General Assembly and first woman elected to a state legislature south of the Mason–Dixon line.[1] Flanery was an advocate for equal rights for women, and actively worked to pass legislation that would give women the right to vote.[1][2]
Family
Mary Elliott, daughter of Benjamin Franklin Elliott and Nancy (Kegley) Elliott, was born April 27, 1867, in a part of Carter County, Kentucky, that would later become Elliott County, Kentucky. After completing her schooling at University of Charleston in West Virginia and the University of Kentucky, she was a public school teacher.[1][2]
Mary married William "Harvey" Flanery on June 28, 1893, and moved with him to Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Flanery family moved to Pikeville, Kentucky, in 1896 for Harvey to work for Northern Coal and Coke as an attorney.[1][3]
Harvey and Mary had five children together; Sue, Merle, Dawn, Dew, and John.[1]
Journalism and literary interests
While residing in Pikeville, Mary Flanery began a career as a writer. From 1904 until 1926, she worked as a journalist for the Ashland Daily Independent.[1] She wrote a column called "Impressions of Kentucky's Legislature," and she advocated for legislation as a means for social reform.
Flanery personally supported the publication of books by female African-American poet Effie Waller Smith, who lived and worked in Pike County, Kentucky.[3][4]
Women's rights advocate
Flanery was a member of the Kentucky Equal Right Association, and actively worked for women to have the right to vote. She worked to improve the lives of women through reform of suffrage, marriage, and divorce laws.[2]