Mary Bartelme

Mary Margaret Bartelme (July 24, 1866 – July 25, 1954) was an American judge and lawyer, who was a pioneer in the area of juvenile justice. She was first appointed Cook County Public Guardian in 1897, where she worked to find suitable homes for orphaned children and managed minor children's estates. Bartleme was appointed a Cook County assistant judge in 1913 and began hearing court cases involving juveniles. She was referred to during that time as "America's only woman judge", by The New York Times. She was subsequently elected in 1923 – the first woman elected judge in Illinois.

Bartelme was also a well-known advocate and opened three settlement homes throughout her life known as "Mary B. Clubs" which provided housing to juvenile girls. She had three sisters and two brothers, and described her childhood as a time of pulling candy, tying quilts, singing French songs at night, and having fun as a young girl. During this time, she became interested in studying chemistry and medicine and wanted to pursue schooling as a doctor.

Assistant Judge Because of her criticism of the handling of young boys and girls accused of crimes in the courtroom, Judge Merritt Pinckney recommended that a woman hear such cases and, in 1913, named Bartelme as an Assistant Judge in the Juvenile Court of Cook County. Throughout her time as an Assistant Judge, Bartelme would interview the delinquent girls and their parents in private to determine the best course for the girl. She ran against Democrat D.J. Normoyle and won by a margin of over 14,000 votes. She would occasionally return to Chicago for visiting.

In California, she continued to do speaking engagements, discussing the need to improve the juvenile justice system. In 1936, she received Primary Class Instruction in Christian Science from Bicknell Young CSD, having been a practicing Christian Scientist for many years. The school was able to accommodate more than 400 students, however, was eventually torn down sometime in the 1970s to make way for a senior citizen apartment home.