Mary Virginia Beck (, , 29 February 1908 - 30 January 2005) was a

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Democratic Party politician, female activist and journalist from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, Detroit’s first female

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

member. She was also the first Ukrainian-American of

Lemko Lemkos (; ; ; ) are an ethnic group inhabiting the Lemko Region (; ) of Carpathian Ruthenia, Carpathian Rus', an ethnographic region in the Carpathian Mountains and Carpathian Foothills, foothills spanning Ukraine, Slovakia, and Poland. Lemkos ...

descent to serve in that capacity. In 1957 she was also elected as the president of the city council. As a member of the council, Mary served for two decades from 1950 to 1970. In 1958-62 she also served as an acting mayor of Detroit city. During that periodthe then-

Mayor of Detroit This is a list of mayors of Detroit, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The current mayor is Mike Duggan, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2014. History of Detroit's executive authority During the earliest part of its history, Detroit was a ...

(1957–1962),

Louis Miriani Louis C. Miriani (January 1, 1897 – October 18, 1987) was an American politician who served as the mayor of Detroit, Michigan, from 1957 to 1962. To date, he remains the most recent Republican to serve as Detroit's mayor. Biography Miriani ...

, who was later involved in legal controversies.

Biography

Mary was born in a family of

Lemkos Lemkos (; ; ; ) are an ethnic group inhabiting the Lemko Region (; ) of Carpathian Rus', an ethnographic region in the Carpathian Mountains and foothills spanning Ukraine, Slovakia, and Poland. Lemkos are often considered to be a sub-group of ...

Mykhailo and Hanna Voitovych-Bek in Ford City,

. In 1921-25 she studied at the Kolomyia city gymnasium in

Kolomyia Kolomyia (, ), formerly known as Kolomea, is a city located on the Prut, Prut River in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast in the west of Ukraine. It serves as the administrative centre of Kolomyia Raion, hosting the administration of Kolomyia urban hromada ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. In 1925-29 Mary Beck was a student at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

upon graduation of which she received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

. In 1932 she earned her

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree from the same school. Since 1944 Mary Beck was a member of the

State Bar of Michigan The State Bar of Michigan is the governing body for lawyers in the State of Michigan. Membership is mandatory for attorneys who practice law in Michigan. The organization's mission is to aid in promoting improvements in the administration of ju ...

. In 1968 she exchanged the

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree for a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree. In 1930s Mary Beck was an active member of the

Ukrainian National Women's League of America Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) is a Ukrainian-American charitable organization based in New York, established in 1925. It conducts initiatives related to social welfare, culture, and education in support of Ukrainian people ...

. Since 1932-33 she was publisher and editor of "Zhinochyi Svit" (Woman's World), the Ukrainian woman's monthly magazine in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. Mary was also editor of the English sections in such Ukrainian press media as "Ukrainska Zoria" (Ukrainian Star) in

and "Vilne Slovo" (Free Word) in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, Canada. In 1933-34 she was an active initiator of committee for setting up the Ukrainian Pavilion at the

Century of Progress Exposition A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the Bureau International des Exposit ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Mary came to

in 1934 initially as a social worker at the International Institute and since 1935 she worked as a juvenile court investigator for Wayne County until 1947. In 1947-50 she was a practicing lawyer and as such entered politics in 1950. After being elected to the Detroit city council Mary Beck discontinued her law practice, fully committing to the city politics from which she retired in 1970. In 1958 Mary established the Ukrainian Women's Literary Award in

Ukrainian literature The term Ukrainian literature () is normally used to describe works of literature written in the Ukrainian language. In a broader sense it can also relate to all literary works created in the territory of Ukraine. Ukrainian literature mostly de ...

, as of 2025, it is administered by the World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. In 1960 she also sponsored the Worldwide Ukrainian Art Exhibit at the MacGregor Center (

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

). In the 1969 Detroit mayoral election, Beck placed third in the nonpartisan

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

, receiving 22% of the vote. She had run a single-issue campaign on the subject of crime control. She ran as a

write-in candidate A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

in the general election, winning a minuscule share of the vote. Mary died in Clinton Township and her final service was held in

Sterling Heights Sterling Heights is a city in Macomb County, Michigan, Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Sterling Heights is located roughly north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had ...

near

. She was buried at St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle Ukrainian Orthodox Cemetery in

South Bound Brook South Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,863, an increase of 300 (+6.6%) from the 2010 census count of 4,563, which in turn reflec ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

Awards and legacy

* Ukrainian Community Service Award (Ukrainians in the Free World, Detroit), for promoting Ukrainian cultural activities *

Panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of - ' ...

-commendation (Ukrainian artists), for the support and assistance rendered Ukrainian artists in diaspora and for sponsoring the worldwide Ukrainian Art Exhibit held at the MacGregor Center at Wayne State University in Detroit in 1960 * 1963 Ukrainian of the Year award (Ukrainian Graduates Club of Detroit and Windsor) * 1968 Certificate of Honor (Federation of Women's Clubs of Metropolitan Detroit), for dedicated efforts for the constructive advancement of womanhood and for cultural and civic contributions to the community * 1970 Captive Nations Eisenhower Proclamation Medal and Certificate ( Captive Nations Committee of Metropolitan Detroit), in recognition of her contributions to the pursuit of freedom and independence for all Captive Nations * 1975 Certificate of Merit (

), for continuous effort in the promotion of Ukrainian women's interests and projects * 1975 Certificate of Merit (World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations), for the advancement of Ukrainian women and their goals * 1984 Certificate of Special Tribute (

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of government of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the state's 49th governor. She was re-ele ...

James Blanchard James Johnston Blanchard (born August 8, 1942) is an American attorney, diplomat, and politician who served as the 45th governor of Michigan from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Blanchard previo ...

), in honor of distinguished

Ukrainian American Ukrainian Americans are Americans who are of full or partial Ukrainians, Ukrainian ancestry. According to U.S. census estimates, in 2021 there were 1,017,586 Americans of Ukrainian descent representing 0.3% of the American population. The Ukr ...

citizen, Mary V. Beck * 1993 Exhibition of life and work of Beck on the occasion of her 85th birthday at Eko Gallery in the Ukrainian Village in

Warren, Michigan Warren is a city in Macomb County, Michigan, Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Warren borders Detroit to the north, roughly north of downtown Detroit. The population was 139,387 at the ...

. * 2003 Saint Volodymyr Medal (7th

Ukrainian World Congress Ukrainian World Congress ( or ''СКУ'') is a non-profit organization, nonpartisan association, international coordination assembly of all Ukrainian public organizations in diaspora. Originally founded in 1967 as the World Congress of Free Ukrai ...

) In 1965 a commemorative stamp featuring Beck was issued by the Women's United Committee of Detroit to commemorate her election in 1950 as the "First Woman to the Detroit Common Council". February 29, 1972 was proclaimed the "Mary V. Beck Day" by the

and city's native Roman S. Gribbs.

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

covered Beck’s political career extensively over the years. On February 1, 2005 in her obituary, Detroit Free Press noted that both political opponents and colleagues acknowledged her contributions to city governance.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, Mary 1908 births 2005 deaths Detroit City Council members University of Pittsburgh alumni Michigan Democrats People from Ford City, Pennsylvania American politicians of Ukrainian descent American anti-communists American people of Lemko descent University of Pittsburgh School of Law alumni Women city councillors in Michigan 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women Burials at Ukrainian Orthodox Church Cemetery, South Bound Brook 20th-century Michigan politicians

Biography

Awards and legacy

See also

References