LADIES' GALLERY

Mary McGowan took her right to vote seriously. From 1920 until her death in 1980, she voted in every election and primary. McGowan graduated from Actual Business College and then served 20 years as a court reporter in Summit County. She assisted in many political campaigns, and was a member of the Democratic Central Committee from 1938 to 1980. She served as a committeewoman on behalf of the Ohio and the national Democratic Party.

McGowan focused on her own campaigns in 1962, 1964, and 1972. She was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1962 and again in 1964. She served as secretary on the IVtines and Resources Commission, secretary for the Liquor Commission, and member of the Welfare Committee during her service in the Ohio General Assembly. She was defeated in the general election of 1972 when she sought another term in the Ohio House.

Biography courtesy of the Ohio Women's Policy and Research Commission