Mary A. Monroe

Mary Ann Monroe (March 7, 1860 – September 11, 1953) was a prominent teacher and school administrator in Spokane, Washington, and an active figure in education across the state of Washington. She was the first woman to serve as president of the Washington Education Association and the first woman on the board of trustees at the State Normal School at Cheney. She ran unsuccessfully for the office of Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1912, but was active in civic and state politics in the early 20th century.

Early life and education Monroe was born on March 7, 1860, in Newark, Ohio. She was born to mother Catherine Thyrer and father John Simpson. Her mother was from Germany, and her father, John Simpson, was from England. She had a sister. The school's location made her work more challenging—as Monroe explained in her letters, the building had no running water initially, and the absence of graded streets in the early 1890s made access to the school difficult: "The teachers and students waded through snow, mud, and water in rubber boots." In January 1905, she was appointed to the library committee for the Spokane city schools by then school board president Warren W. Tolman.

1912 campaign for State Superintendent In 1912, Monroe ran as the Democratic nominee for state school superintendent, advocating a policy of "progression and modern ideas." Despite her identification as a Democrat, one newspaper remarked on the existence of "a non-partisan club of women" that organized specifically to assist with her campaign, which included both Progressive and Republican women in the club's leadership. Monroe's platform aimed to make education more directly related to the everyday lives of students. Rural Washington schools, in Monroe's view, needed to focus on agriculture and domestic science for the future housewife, with "a closer relation between the farm and the school."

Trustee On April 26, 1913, the Colville Examiner published appointments made by Governor Ernest Lister. The article announced Monroe as a "trustee [for the] Cheney normal school." She was the first woman to serve on the normal school's board of trustees. On February 4, 1916, Monroe was present at the dedication of another new building—the school's first dormitory—when it was named Monroe Hall in her honor. She was the guest of honor on the occasion, and was invited to kindle the first fire in the hall's main fireplace: she made some brief remarks about "the various ways in which a woman's residence hall could have a salutary influence on girls coming from many different environments." She fulfilled the same office on July 9, 1920, kindling the first fire at the campus's second dormitory, Senior Hall: Another of her public duties was handing diplomas to graduates at the commencement ceremony.

In addition to her duties as a trustee, Monroe visited with the students of the Normal School. In June 1918, she spent the weekend as a guest in Monroe Hall. Monroe was also a regular guest at senior class dinners. In 1924, all the trustees, including Monroe, were honored with a dinner. While visiting Ohio in the summer of 1921, Monroe purchased two vases to decorate Monroe Hall.

Political activism Monroe was active in public service and civic engagement throughout her life. She was the first woman teacher in Spokane to testify in court regarding the enforcement of the city's truancy law. In 1913, Monroe was elected as the incoming president of the Washington Education Association (WEA), while still remaining a school principal in the Spokane Public Schools; she was the first woman president of the WEA, and only the second woman in the United States to serve as president of a state educational association. In 1920, Monroe was appointed to a "Democratic Platform Committee" for the Washington State Democratic Party, which was chaired by Preston M. Troy.

Later in life, Monroe served as an officer in the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane's Women's Auxiliary: she is listed as the president of that organization in 1931. She also served on Spokane's municipal parks board, chairing the recreation committee at one point: in that capacity, she assisted with the training of teachers facilitated by the Works Progress Administration in 1936.

Personal life Reports vary as to when Monroe married William Allison Monroe: in her obituary, it claims they were married in 1884, whereas William Allison Monroe's obituary claims they were married in 1886. The couple had no children.

Monroe died at the age of 93 on September 11, 1953, at the Jane O'Brien Sanitarium in Spokane, from chronic myocardial degeneration. She is buried at Greenwood Memorial Terrace in Spokane.