Mary A. Ahrens

Mary Ann Ahrens (née Jones; December 29, 1836 – 17 February 1921) was an English-American teacher, lawyer, and social reformer.

Family and education Born in Alrewas, Staffordshire, England, Ahrens was the daughter of William H. Jones, a Methodist clergyman, and Ann (Brown) Jones. When the federal court of appeals was established in 1891, Ahrens was the only woman in the first class of 33 lawyers to be admitted to practice before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. One newspaper described her as a "shining light" in Chicago who "possesses unquestioned legal learning and ability eloquence and a distinguished manner." Burnishing her reputation, she contracted a life-threatening case of pneumonia after braving a snow storm to timely file court documents, and her recovery was watched and reported in the press.

Ahrens was a dedicated advocate for women's suffrage, pursuing this goal through lectures, lawsuits, and civic engagement. She is credited with helping to open school elections to Illinois women. this seen as a strategic first step towards full suffrage. However, just before the November election, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners ruled that the law did not apply to any office listed in the state's constitution. Ahrens sued for the right to cast a ballot for the Cook County superintendent of schools. The Illinois Supreme Court ruled against her, finding that the state legislature lacked the authority to enfranchise women when the state's constitution limited voters to male citizens over the age of 21 or those who could vote prior to statehood in 1848. In another case, the Illinois Supreme Court clarified that women could vote in school elections where the office was not in the state constitution, such as a city board. In the next election cycle Ahrens ran for University Trustee in 1894, but was defeated by Lucy Flower for the honor of being the first Illinois woman to hold statewide office. Ahrens continued to advocate for women touring with a lecture entitled "Women's Disability Before the Law" based on a paper prepared for the Illinois Women's Press Association in 1892. The mission house moved to 1324 Indiana, an area called "The Patch", after an Easter donation by F.H. Cooper on land owned by the Garret Biblical Institute.