Mary Post Hallowell

(1823–1913) Mary was a leader in the suffrage movement. She became an anti-slavery activist as a young woman, and in 1842, joined the newly-formed Western New York Anti-Slavery Society (WNYASS), a group which her parents had helped to found. After she married, her home, like that of her parents, provided a refuge for fugitive slaves as part of the network of the Underground Railroad.

Mary’s fight for suffrage and equality for women spans over sixty years. She was present at the first women's rights Convention held in Seneca Falls in July of 1848 and a signer of the Declaration of Sentiments. In the aftermath of the Civil War, Mary supported revisions to the 14th Amendment that would allow women, as well as African-American men, the right to vote. Mary attempted to vote in the presidential election of 1872 and was unable to register. She later donated to Susan B. Anthony’s defense after Susan was arrested for voting. She was also present at the founding meeting of Rochester's Women's Political Club (later the Political Equality Club) in Susan's home in December of 1885.

Mary's suffrage activities were buttressed by a close personal friendship with Susan B. Anthony. Ida Husted Harper, Susan's biographer, describes the home of William and Mary Hallowell as a place where the "doors never were closed" to Susan.