WHO WAS MYRA BRADWELL?
Myra Bradwell was one of the greatest American heroines of the nineteenth century, the first female to seek constitutional protection from sex discrimination. under the 14th Amendment.
JOURNALIST
She was the first female accepted into the Illinois Press Association
LAWYER
She was the first female accepted into the Illinois State Bar Association
Abolitionist
Myra Bradwell and her husband had a burning hatred for slavery and partook in the dangerous work of the Underground Railroad. Her parents were friends of the famous abolitionist Owen Lovejoy.
WIFE & Mother
Myra Bradwell was 21 when she married James Bradwell, the son of English immigrants living in Cook County, Ill. They were true partners and Myra always had his unwavering support.
suffragist
"Never shall I forget my first impression of this modern Portia." — Suffragist Abigail Scott Duniway, 1900
FRIEND
Myra and James Bradwell enjoyed a close friendship with the Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. Following President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, they played a vital role in securing Mrs. Lincoln's release from the Bellevue Place asylum.