Mary Bentley Thomas

Mary Bentley Thomas (December 13, 1845 – February 11, 1923) was an American suffragist and Maryland Woman Suffrage Association president from 1894 to 1904. She was also involved in the Friends Equal Rights Association and the National American Woman Suffrage Association, holding various offices in both organizations.

Early life Mary Bentley was born in Maryland to Richard and Edith Bentley, who were Quakers. Her grandfather, Caleb Bentley, was a silversmith and postmaster.

Career Thomas was president of the Maryland Woman Suffrage Association from 1894 to 1904, succeeding the association's founder, Caroline Hallowell Miller. She was in turn succeeded by Emma Maddox Funck. Thomas was also the third president of the Friends Equal Rights Association, and spoke on women's rights at national Quaker gatherings.

Personal life Mary Bentley married dairyman Edward Porter Thomas in 1865. They had six children together. She died in 1923, aged 77 years. In 2021, a historical marker was erected in Sandy Spring, Maryland, noting Thomas and Miller's work on woman's suffrage; several of Thomas's descendants attended the marker's unveiling.