Mary Margaret Bartelme (July 24, 1866 – July 25, 1954) was an American judge and lawyer, who was a pioneer in the area of

juvenile justice Juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal systems, chi ...

. She was first appointed Cook County Public Guardian in 1897, where she worked to find suitable homes for orphaned children and managed minor children's estates. Bartleme was appointed a

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40 percent of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. ...

assistant judge in 1913 and began hearing court cases involving juveniles. She was referred to during that time as "America's only woman judge", by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

.'' She was subsequently elected in 1923 – the first woman elected judge in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Bartelme was also a well-known advocate and opened three settlement homes throughout her life known as "Mary B. Clubs" which provided housing to juvenile girls. Contributions to the clubs were also used to provide each girl with a suitcase containing underwear, toiletries, and a new dress, an act that earned Bartelme the nickname "Suitcase Mary".

Early years

Mary Bartelme was born in Chicago, Illinois, as the daughter of immigrants from Saarland, Germany, Balthasar and Jeannette Bartelme. She had three sisters and two brothers, and described her childhood as a time of pulling candy, tying quilts, singing French songs at night, and having fun as a young girl. She graduated from West Division Grammar and High School in 1882 and subsequently began to teach in the

Chicago Public School Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the List of the largest school districts in the United States by enrollment, fourth-large ...

system for the next five years. During this time, she became interested in studying chemistry and medicine and wanted to pursue schooling as a doctor. She spoke with a woman physician about her interests who advised her to speak with a woman lawyer before deciding on her career. Bartelme spoke with lawyer Myra Bradwell and decided to pursue law after a singular visit. She entered Northwestern Law School in 1892 at age 25 and received her law degree in 1894. She was also admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1894 and began a general law practice, specializing in probate law. In 1896, Bartelme joined the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...

Career

Known as a social reformer, during the

Progressive Era The Progressive Era (1890s–1920s) was a period in the United States characterized by multiple social and political reform efforts. Reformers during this era, known as progressivism in the United States, Progressives, sought to address iss ...

, Mary Bartelme devoted much of her life to the reform of juvenile laws and the welfare of children.

Public Guardian of Cook County

In 1897, Mary Bartelme was appointed to be the Public Guardian of Cook County by Governor John Riley Tanner. She was the first woman in this post and held the position for the next sixteen years. In her role, Bartelme would find homes for orphaned children and helped to manage minor children's estates. Through her work, she became known across Illinois as a tireless advocate for children and her compassion for the young girls earned her the nickname "Mother Bartelme."

Assistant Judge

Because of her criticism of the handling of young boys and girls accused of crimes in the courtroom, Judge Merritt Pinckney recommended that a woman hear such cases and, in 1913, named Bartelme as an Assistant Judge in the Juvenile Court of Cook County. Bartelme also convened a special Girl's Court which heard cases of delinquent and dependent girls ages ten through seventeen, many of them prostitutes. All personnel in this closed court were female, which was felt to encourage a more open discussion of sexual and other private matters. Throughout her time as an Assistant Judge, Bartelme would interview the delinquent girls and their parents in private to determine the best course for the girl. She would then make her recommendation to the judge who would determine the final verdict. Bartelme served in this capacity for ten years.

Judge

On November 6, 1923, Mary Bartelme was elected Judge after being nominated by the Republican party to finish the unexpired term of a

Cook County Circuit Court The Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest of the 25 Illinois circuit courts, circuit courts (trial courts of original jurisdiction, original and general jurisdiction) in the judiciary of Illinois as well as one of the largest unified cour ...

Judge. She ran against Democrat D.J. Normoyle and won by a margin of over 14,000 votes. This was the first time Illinois elected a woman to a court of such high jurisdiction. In 1927, Bartelme was re-elected to a full six-year term as a Judge.

Activism

Mary Bartelme was a proud Republican, member of the Woman's City Club, an advocate of women's suffrage and member of the Woman's Party, Chicago Suffrage Club, and League of Woman Voters, as well as president of the Business Women's Club. In the 1916-1917, she served as vice chair of the

National Woman's Party The National Woman's Party (NWP) was an American women's political organization formed in 1916 to fight for women's suffrage. After achieving this goal with the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the NWP ...

Mary B. Clubs

In 1914, Bartelme established three settlement homes, known as "Mary B. Clubs", for girls who were not able to return to their parents. These clubs were supported by volunteer services and used as an alternative to state institutions. The first two clubs, which started in 1914 and 1916, accepted white girls; the last one, started in 1921, accepted girls of color. Girls would stay at these homes between six months and several years with more than two thousand girls passing through the group homes in a space of ten years. Contributions to these homes were also used to provide each girl who left with a suitcase containing underwear, toiletries, and a new dress. This act earned Bartelme the nickname "Suitcase Mary" by numerous reporters and news outlets.

Later years

After a distinguished career, Mary Bartelme retired in June 1933. After retiring, Bartelme moved to the west coast. She resided in

Carmel, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), commonly known simply as Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, located on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 3,220, down from 3,722 a ...

, where she lived with her niece, Adelaine Bartelme. She would occasionally return to Chicago for visiting. In

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, she continued to do speaking engagements, discussing the need to improve the juvenile justice system. In 1936, she received Primary Class Instruction in Christian Science from Bicknell Young CSD, having been a practicing

Christian Scientist Activists, politicians, and military figures Activists *Tsianina Redfeather Blackstone (1882-1985) – Native American singer and activist * Bonnie Carroll – President and founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) *Henry ...

for many years. She died after a short illness on July 25, 1954, at the age of 88. One of her final requests was that upon her death, in lieu of flowers, donations would be made to the Mary B. Clubs, which were still in operation. Mary Bartelme would later be described as the single most important person in the first 25 years of the Cook County Juvenile Court, the first juvenile court established in the U.S.

Legacy

In September 1957, a new Chicago elementary school that was named for her opened on N Ridge Blvd in Rogers Park, Chicago. The school was able to accommodate more than 400 students, however, was eventually torn down sometime in the 1970s to make way for a senior citizen apartment home. Mary Bartelme Park, in the

West Loop The Near West Side, one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, is on the West Side, west of the Chicago River and adjacent to the Loop. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 started on the Near West Side. Waves of immigration shaped the history of t ...

area of Chicago, is also named in her honor.