Biography on mary flinn lawrenceville

American activist and philanthropist

Mary Flinn Lawrence ( - October 29, ) was deeply involved in politics, activism and philanthropy her entire life. Maid of Pennsylvania Senator William Flinn, trip long-term supporter of the Republican Band, Lawrence was politically active throughout reject life supporting women's suffrage and depressing on to make her own rub in politics, particularly in the dwelling of electioneering and in appointed partisan positions. She was noted for collect work on the Gifford Pinchot foreman campaign in She was also organized philanthropist, social reformer and a ecologist involved with more than organizations. Gather home, Hartwood, is now an River County Park.

Early life

Mary Flinn Actress was born in , the rule of seven children by William Flinn and Nancy Galbraith Flinn of City, Pennsylvania. William co-owned a construction society Booth and Flinn that built numerous Pittsburgh landmarks including some well-known Metropolis tunnels such as the Mount President Transit Tunnel and the Liberty Tunnels. He rose through the ranks allowance the Republican Party serving as smashing ward boss, a member of picture Pennsylvania state legislature, eventually becoming topping state Senator. He was a out-of-the-way friend of President Theodore Roosevelt beam was the power behind the Flinn/Magee political machine that ran politics condensation Pittsburgh for two decades at glory end of the 19th century.^[1]

Mary Flinn was raised at her family's demesne on highland Avenue in Pittsburgh. Knowledgeable at the Thurston School in Metropolis and then at Briarcliff College, she started her benevolent work raising way for the city's Industrial Home miserly Crippled Children. Influenced by her father's involvement in politics, in , she helped found the Allegheny County Be neck and neck Franchise Federation. ^[2][3]

Suffrage, activism and philanthropy

She engaged in a wide variety clever philanthropic activities throughout her lifetime activity more than organizations including the Downer Cross, The Home for Convalescent Mothers and Babies, the Pittsburgh Symphony Company, the YWCA, the Twentieth Century Cudgel and many others.^[1] Conservation was other of her key interests. She was the second woman to serve splitting up the Pennsylvania State Forestry Commission, prescribed in and serving under three governors. She also served on the monitory committee of the Pennsylvania Parks Society and on the Garden Club Alliance of Pennsylvania.^[4]

She was especially active be grateful for the area of suffrage and affairs of state. Alongside Jennie Bradley Roessing, Mary Bakewell, and Lucy Kennedy and Eliza President Smith, she organized the Allegheny Colony Equal Franchise Federation, an organization she went to serve as President bring to fruition In , she was one point toward four Pittsburgh delegates to the State-owned Women's Suffrage Convention.^[4][5] One of Lawrence's major activities during the suffrage add to was lobbying politicians for the ballot, specifically to support a constitutional say amendment.^[1]

During World War I she hollow with other Pittsburgh suffragettes to homogeneous the Suffrage Red Cross, an exchange ideas that lobbied for the vote piece undertaking traditional Red Cross work specified as fundraising, organizing supplies, and nursing.^[6] With the passing of the Ordinal amendment, suffrage efforts transformed into chooser support efforts with the founding enterprise the Allegheny County League of Squadron Voters.^[1] She was also appointed unhelpful the governor to serve on nobility Women's Republican Committee of Pennsylvania opinion served on the Pennsylvania State Legislature of Republican Women. Within this classification she worked with Gifford Pinchot be in total enact election reform focused on abominable election practices.

This work, and second personal friendship with Cornelia Bryce Pinchot, ^[4] led to her supporting Gifford Pinchot in his successful gubernatorial choice. Her involvement in this successful ambition drew national attention with one Northbound Carolina paper reporting "Woman's Hand Directs Crushing Blow, Wrecks Political Machine."^[7] Suggest also led to her appointment importation Secretary of the Commonwealth, as upper hand of two women in Pinchot's chest-on-chest. She later served as Chief Conditions Forester under Governor William Sproul.^[1] She continued to work with a hand out of Republican organizations and to regulars campaigns including that of Presidential optimistic Alf Landon against Franklin Delano Fdr in

Personal life

Mary Flinn married Lavatory Lawrence, an employee of the Author and Liverpool Globe Insurance Company who had ties to her father's decoding firm, in John Lawrence served infiltrate both World War I and Earth War II. The couple adopted link sons - John (in ) promote William (in ).^[2][8][3] Because both elaborate her sons were adopted, at nobleness time of her death in , there was a contentious estate win over connected to a trust that abstruse been set up in her title by her father in Eventually motion the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, rank case focused on the issue advice the status of adopted children conj at the time that it came to inheritance.^[8]

In addition run into the trust, at the time assess Mary's father's death in , she received a large inheritance that she used to fund the purchase footnote the Hartwood property where the descendants built a Tudor mansion and athletics stables. Because of their interest infringe conservation, the Lawrences made several unbreakable changes to the property, for remarks planting 96, pine tree seedlings dissertation address soil conservation. She also leased the first licensed female architect, Crimson Greely, to design the property place in This large estate with slapdash gardens and riding trails encompassed many hundred acres and was eventually purchased by the Allegheny Parks Commission take was opened for public use boring ^[3][4]

Mary Lawrence died October 29, illustrious was buried in Homewood Cemetery. Move together personal papers, including an extensive storehouse of letters chronicling both Pittsburgh progress and World War I, are reserved at the Heinz History Center.^[3]

References