About: Mary Lilly

Mary Madden Lilly (July 18, 1859 in Roxbury, Massachusetts – October 11, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York) was a Progressive era activist who had a prominent role in New York City's social reform movements during the last decades of the 19th century and early decades of the 20th century. In particular, Lilly supported prison reform in the form of separate facilities for females who were first time offenders. Lilly was an advocate for women's suffrage and other legislation to better the lives of women and children. After women gained the right to vote in New York in 1917, Lilly ran for elected office in the November 1918 election, and was one of two females elected to serve in the 1919 session of the New York State Assembly.