Maud Malone (1873 – 1951), also seen as Maude Malone, was an American librarian and "militant suffragette" based in New York. She was also a spokesperson for the Library Employees' Union, the first labor union for public library workers in the United States.

Early life

Maud Malone was born in New York City, to Irish immigrant parents, Annie Malone and Edward Malone. Her father was a doctor, her uncle

Sylvester Malone Rev. Sylvester Malone (1821–1899) was an Irish born American catholic priest. Life Malone was born in Trim, County Meath, Ireland on 8 May 1821, the son of Laurence and Marcella Malone. His father was a civil engineer and surveyor. Receiving ...

was a priest, and both men were among the founders of the New York Anti-Poverty Society. Her sister Marcella Malone and her brothers

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

and Sylvester Malone all became lawyers.

Career

Malone was active as a suffragist in New York City. She was president of the Harlem Equal Rights League when she organized an outdoor suffrage meeting in 1908. "It was in the broadest spirit of democracy that we went out into the streets inviting all passersby to listen to listen to our arguments and offer their objections or ask questions," Malone wrote of the event.Linda J. Lumsden
''Rampant Women: Suffragists and the Right of Assembly''
(University of Tennessee Press 1997): 28-33, 45-46. In March 1908, she quit the Progressive Woman's Union in protest against their concerns for attracting a "well-dressed crowd". In 1909, she wore a large yellow sign advocating suffrage, on a solo march from Cooper Union, up Broadway, and along Fifth Avenue. One of her visible acts of protest was as "heckler", especially at presidential candidate speeches in 1912, when she was known to shout "What about woman suffrage?" from the audience. She was often ejected for this act, fined, and at least once convicted of creating a disturbance at a public meeting, and given a suspended sentence. In 1917 she picketed the White House as part of the

Silent Sentinels The Silent Sentinels, also known as the Sentinels of Liberty, were a group of over 2,000 women in favor of women's suffrage organized by Alice Paul and the National Woman's Party, who protested in front of the White House during Woodrow Wilson's ...

in a campaign to get the Democratic Party to endorse women's suffrage. She was arrested and sentenced to 60 days at the

Occoquan Workhouse The Lorton Reformatory, also known as the Lorton Correctional Complex, is a former prison complex in Lorton, Virginia, established in 1910 for the District of Columbia, United States. The complex began as a prison farm called the Occoquan Wor ...

, where she was among the eleven women who unsuccessfully requested political prisoner status. Maud Malone worked for the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

and was a founding member of the Library Employees' Union in 1917. She was the organization's spokesperson; her sister Marcella Malone served a term as the union's president. After many years of outspoken union activity, she was dismissed from her job at the New York Public Library in 1932.Catherine Shanley
"The Library Employees' Union of Greater New York, 1917-1929"
''Libraries & Culture'' 30(3)(Summer 1995): 235-264. Later in life she worked as librarian for the newspaper ''

The Daily Worker The ''Daily Worker'' was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, attempts were ...

''.Kathryn Cullen-DuPont
''American Women Activists' Writings: An Anthology, 1637-2001''
(Cooper Square Press 2002): 296.

Personal life

Maud Malone died in 1951, aged 78 years.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, Maud 1873 births 1951 deaths American suffragists American trade union leaders American librarians New York Public Library people Activists from New York City American trade unionists of Irish descent American women librarians American women trade unionists