Mary Elliott Flanery, born into an important political family in Eastern Kentucky, for whom Elliott county was named, was the first woman legislator elected south of the Mason-Dixon line. After attending Barbourville (W.Va.) College and the University of Kentucky, Mary Elliott began to teach in 1892. The next year, she married William Harvey Flanery, a lawyer. He established a law practice in Pikeville in 1895; they moved to Catlettsburg in 1912. In 1904 Mary Flanery became associated with the ASHLAND (Ky.) DAILY INDEPENDENT. She later served as a correspondent with many newspapers throughout Kentucky and neighboring states. Her political interests centered around woman suffrage and education. Her primary achievement during her single term in the Kentucky legislature, as Boyd county's representative from 1921-1923, was the introduction of the bill that created Morehead State University.
The Flanerys had two daughters, Merle Flanery Howerton and Dawn Flanery Parker. Merle Howerton, like her mother, was active in Democratic Party circles. She served as president of the Democratic Woman's Club of Kentucky and as a member of the state Democratic Central Committee. Dawn Parker was a poet who submitted brief, humorous verses to a variety of magazines.
From the description of Flanery family papers, 1883-1972. (University of Kentucky Libraries). WorldCat record id: 13342651
