Mary Florence Taney

Mary Florence Taney (May 15, 1856 – October 9, 1936) was an American socialite, clubwoman, suffragist, civic leader, and writer. She was the first woman to serve as a Notary Public in Kentucky. She wrote the lyrics for the Kentucky State Song and authored Kentucky Pioneer Women. Taney founded the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century in 1915 and the National Society of the Dames of the Court of Honor in 1921.

Early life and education Taney was born on May 15, 1856, in Newport, Kentucky to Peter Taney and Catherine Alphonse Taney. Her father was the nephew of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. Taney wrote a biography on her granduncle, Chief Justice Taney.

In 1889, Taney was appointed by Governor Simon Bolivar Buckner as the first woman Notary Public in Kentucky.

On October 11, 1936, the Catholic Ladies of Columbia held services for Taney at a local funeral home. A requiem high mass was sung for Taney at on St. Mary's Cathedral on October 12, 1936, followed by a burial in St. Mary's Cemetery.