97, with the rank, salary, badge, and arrest powers of any detective (although she made infrequent use of the latter two). Owens photo via Chicago-Daily Tribune, Oct-28-1906 She was relentless in ferreting these men out and turning them into the police, so much so that McClaughrey decided to employ Owens in the detective bureau. Owens saw first-hand how many children were forced to seek employment to keep the family from starving after the father abandoned them. Owens's efforts in tracking down wife deserters-men we now call deadbeat dads. In 1891, the newly appointed Chief of Police, Major Robert Wilson McClaughrey-a tireless reformer with a particular interest in the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders-took notice of Mrs. She soon earned a reputation for zeal and effectiveness tempered by a diplomatic approach to parents, children, and business owners that made her as popular as someone in her role could be. Sanitary inspector Marie Owens dove into her work with a passion, removing illegally employed children from their workplaces, helping them find other means of support and even paying out of her own pocket to help their destitute families. They reported to the Commissioner of Health and were paid salaries of $50 a month.
Glennon formed the first board of sanitary inspectors in the country to be given official authority by the city. Women, all of them married or widowed mothers, got the jobs because dealing with children was deemed to be in their natural purview. To enforce the ordinance, the city hired five women as sanitary inspectors to monitor conditions in stores, factories, and tenements. In 1889, the city of Chicago passed an ordinance prohibiting the employment of children under 14 years old unless they had extraordinary circumstances requiring them to work. She entered the workforce with a bang the next year. As she told the Chicago Daily Tribune in 1904, up until this point she had never "earned a penny" in her life. Marie was widowed with five mouths to feed her youngest was just a couple of years old. Together they had five children before Thomas died of typhoid fever in 1888. She married gas fitter Thomas Owens in 1879, and they moved to Chicago soon thereafter. Marie Connolly was born the daughter of Irish famine immigrants in Bytown (later renamed Ottawa), on December 21, 1853.
She was on the department payroll and received a police pension when she retired in 1923 after 32 years on the force.
#Photo police woman full#
Marie Connolly Owens joined the Chicago Police Department in 1891 with the title of Detective Sergeant, full arrest powers, and a badge. Both Baldwin and Wells have vied for the title, but in fact they were beaten to the punch by almost 20 years. Alice Stebbins Wells via The Day Book Chicago, February 10, 1914.īecause of their non-standard appointments and powers, determining who was the country's first policewoman is challenging.
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