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A Political Pioneer
Sarah Nelson In 1857 the Livermore family moved to Chicago, Illinois, and brought a new woman into Illinois politics. For fifteen years, Mary Ashton Livermore helped the city of Chicago, as well as the entire state of Illinois. She was involved with several aspects of the city, from paid jobs to volunteer work. Mary Ashton Livermore affected politics in Illinois through her work as a female reporter, an assistant with soldiers, and a suffragist. When the Livermores moved to Chicago, Mary became the associate editor of her husband's weekly religious paper, The New Covenant. For twelve years, she worked for all departments of the paper but one, the theological. At Abraham Lincoln's first nomination in 1860, Mrs. Livermore was the only female reporter among one hundred or more male reporters. While working for the paper, Mary was also very active in other work. She assisted three establishments in Chicago, the Home of the Friendless, the Home of the Aged Women, and the Hospital for Women and Children. She also spent much time at home. Mary was her own housekeeper, directed the hired servants, and supervised the education and training of her children. During the Civil War, Livermore founded the Sanitary Commission. Instead of moving away from home to work, as first proposed, Livermore and her friend Jane C. Hodge set up a headquarters in Chicago. At once, the Sanitary Commission was off to an excellent start as relief societies from around the Northwest quickly affiliated themselves with the Chicago branch. Throughout the war, hundreds of women worked with the Commission. Even after the war ended, the work of the Sanitary Commission did not stop. Hospitals were still filled with wounded soldiers, and the Commission's depositories were filled with supplies, which were donated to various hospitals. Finally, in October 1865, the Commission's work was officially over. Livermore also organized Soldier's Aid Societies throughout Illinois. In this, she helped wounded soldiers in many ways. First, she wrote hundreds of letters each year and brought back numbers of invalid soldiers to the North. Furthermore, Livermore accompanied numerous soldiers back to their own homes. During the earlier months of 1862, Mary made a tour of various hospitals along the Mississippi River and assisted many suffering soldiers. The Soldier's Aid Societies died out almost immediately after the war ended. After the war ended, the Women Suffrage movement revived, and Mary quickly became involved with it. Mrs. Livermore believed that because women were not involved with politics, much of the nation's work was not done well, if done at all. She was elected the first president of the Illinois Woman Suffrage Association. Mary wrote several columns about the unjust laws against women in two papers. First, she wrote for her husband's paper, The New Covenant, until 1869. Then Livermore founded a women's suffrage paper entitled The Agitator, of which her husband took charge and made a success. In January 1870 Mary Ashton Livermore merged her paper with the Women's Journal, published in Boston, and became its editor-in-chief for two years. The Livermores moved back to the East in 1872. Throughout her fifteen years in Illinois, Mary Ashton Livermore's political influence expanded far beyond the boundaries of this state. Her work as a female reporter, soldiers' assistant, and suffragist encouraged more women to venture into the workplace. In addition, her perseverance, strength, and enthusiasm allowed men to understand that women were able to accomplish the many tasks of a career traditionally thought to belong only to men. Mary Ashton Livermore clearly played a remarkable role in Illinois politics. She was a pioneer in the political scene of Illinois, blazing a trail for those who followed.—[From E. T.James, Notable American Women; M.A. Livermore, The Story of My Life; Our Famous Women; W.M. Thayer, Women Who Win; F.E. Willard and M.A. Livermore, American Women.]
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