Mary Elizabeth Lease

Jan 6, 2025

Dive into the life of Mary Elizabeth Lease, a fierce advocate for farmers and women's rights during the Gilded Age. Discover her transition from the Republican Party to the Union Labor Party as she fought against political opposition. Her powerful speeches resonated with many while polarizing others. Explore the historical struggles of class legislation and poverty in America, and how Lease's activism reflected broader societal issues. Journey through her political evolution, her impact on suffrage, and the complexities of her legacy.

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ANECDOTE

Lease Family's Irish Roots

Mary Elizabeth Lease's father, Joseph, lost his tenant property during the Irish famine.
He led a revolt against British landowners, becoming a wanted man and immigrating to the U.S.

ANECDOTE

Civil War Impact

During the Civil War, Lease's father and brothers served in the Union Army.
Her brothers were killed, and her father is said to have starved as a POW, shaping her political views.

ANECDOTE

Failed Farming

The Leases tried farming in Kansas, borrowing money for setup.
They struggled, defaulted on loans, and lost the farm within a year, moving to Texas.

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Mary Elizabeth Lease was a progressive political activist who fought big business, worked on behalf of the common man, and believed strongly in the importance of third parties in the U.S. political system. But there are also some really problematic parts of her story and ideology.

Research:

Barnes, Donna A. “Farmers’ Alliance.” Texas State Historical Association. Jan. 1 1995. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/farmers-alliance
Bauer, Pat. "Farmers’ Alliance". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Sep. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Farmers-Alliance
Bentson, Sarah. “Mary Elizabeth Lease.” March 1, 2022.
“Bryan’s Cross of Gold and the Partisan Battle over Economic Policy.” University of Virginia, Miller Center. https://millercenter.org/bryans-cross-gold-and-partisan-battle-over-economic-policy#:~:text=On%20this%20day%20in%201896,silver%20standard%20for%20U.S.%20currency
“Concerning a Mortgage.” New York Times. Aug. 11, 1896. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1896/08/11/103382098.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
“Farmers and Laborers.” Daily Kansas People. Aug. 13, 1890. https://www.newspapers.com/image/477977710/?match=1&terms=%22mary%20e.%20lease%22%20divorce
“Furor Over Mary Lease.” New York Times. Aug. 11, 1896. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1896/08/11/103382074.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
Harper, Ida Husted. “THE LIFE AND WORK OF SUSAN B. ANTHONY, Vol. II.” Bowen-Merrill. 1898. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/31125/31125-h/31125-h.htm
“Ingalls Knocked Out.” Daily Alta California. Dec. 7, 1890. https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DAC18901207.2.2.4&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------
Lease, Mary Elizabeth. “The Problem of Civilization Solved.” 1895. Accessed online: https://digital.lib.niu.edu/islandora/object/niu-gildedage%3A24027/print_object
“Mary Lease Dead; Long Dry Agitator.” New York Times. Oct. 30, 1933. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/10/30/105813706.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
“Mrs. Lease Is Not In It.” Akron Evening Times. Jan.5 , 1893. https://www.newspapers.com/image/228089290/?match=1&terms=%22mary%20e.%20lease%22%20supreme%20court
McLeRoy, Sherrie S. “Lease, Mary Elizabeth Clyens (1853–1933).” Texas State Historical Association. Handbook of Texas Women. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/lease-mary-elizabeth-clyens
“Mrs. Mary Lease Removed From Office.” New York Times. July 7, 1895. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1895/07/07/105980959.html?pageNumber=1
Orr, Brooke Speer. “The ‘People’s Joan of Arc’: Mary Elizabeth Lease, Gendered Politics and Populist Party Politics in Gilded-Age America (American University Studies Book 14) .” Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers. 2014. Kindle edition.
Press, Donald E. “Kansas Conflict: Populist Versus Railroader in the 1890's.” Kansas Historical Quarterlies. Autum, 1977. Vol. 43, No. 3. https://www.kancoll.org/khq/1977/77_3_dpress.htm#Ref42

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