Mary Florence Taney
{{Short description|American clubwoman}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Mary Florence Taney
| image = Mary Florence Taney.png
| caption =
| office1 = President General, National Society of the Dames of the Court of Honor
| term_start1 =
| term_end1 =
| successor1 =
| predecessor1 =
| office2 = President General, National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century
| term_start2 =
| term_end2 =
| successor2 =
| predecessor2 =
| office3 = Kentucky Notary Public
| term_start3 =
| term_end3 =
| successor3 =
| predecessor3 =
| governor3 = Simon Bolivar Buckner
| birth_name =
| birth_date = May 15, 1856
| birth_place = Newport, Kentucky, U.S.
| death_date = October 9, 1936
| death_place = Covington, Kentucky, U.S.
| resting_place = Saint Mary's Cemetery
Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, U.S.
| education =
| occupation = clubwoman, writer, public official, socialite
| years_active =
| works =
| spouse =
| children =
| relatives = Roger B. Taney (granduncle)
| father =
| mother =
| awards =
}}
Mary Florence Taney (May 15, 1856 – October 9, 1936) was an American socialite, clubwoman, suffragist, civic leader, and writer. She was the first woman to serve as a Notary Public in Kentucky. She wrote the lyrics for the Kentucky State Song and authored Kentucky Pioneer Women. Taney founded the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century in 1915 and the National Society of the Dames of the Court of Honor in 1921.
Early life and education
Taney was born on May 15, 1856 in Newport, Kentucky to Peter Taney and Catherine Alphonse Taney.{{cite web |last= Lietzenmayer|first= Karl|date= 2018|title= Mary Florence Taney: Poet, Educator, Civic Leader|url= https://kentoncountyhistoricalsociety.org/data/documents/May-June-2018.pdf|website= Kenton County Historical Society|location= Covington, Kentucky|publisher= |access-date= March 20, 2025}} Her father was the nephew of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. Her family had deep roots in the United States, as her ancestors sailed with Lord Baltimore, landing in Maryland in 1632. She was also related to Francis Scott Key.
She graduated with honors from Immaculata Academy, a Catholic school run by the Sisters of Nazareth.
Career
Taney began writing in her youth, often publishing under the pen name "Frederick Stanhope Grant", appearing in the Free Press and the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette when she was a teenager.{{cite web |last= Wishnevski|first= Rebecca|date= |title= Mary Florence Taney|url= https://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/868|website= Explore Kentucky History|location= |publisher= |access-date=}} Taney wrote a biography on her granduncle, Chief Justice Taney. She was appointed to write poems for the World's Fair. One of her most famous poems was titled The Morning Glory. In 1893, she published Prose Sketches of Noted Pioneer Women, including a commemorative poem following each sketch. Her lyrics for the Kentucky State Song were set to music by Andrew J. Boex at "Kentucky Day" on November 10, 1895 during the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta.{{cite news |author= |date= August 10, 1904|title= Kentucky-State Song|url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-breckenridge-news-mary-florence-tane/9735218|work= The Breckenridge News|location= Cloverport, Kentucky|publisher= |access-date= March 20, 2025}}/
In 1889, Taney was appointed by Governor Simon Bolivar Buckner as the first woman Notary Public in Kentucky. She was later employed as the private secretary to the Collector of Kentucky Internal Revenue, for which she was paid $1,200 annually. She also worked as a teacher, singer, newspaper correspondent, and as assistant editor of the Women's Club Magazine.
She was a prominent society figure and was active in many social, civic, patriotic, and charitable activities. She and her sister, Elizabeth Taney Hardeman, attended parties hosted by Cornelius Vanderbilt and Nicholas Longworth and were guests of President William Howard Taft and First Lady Helen Herron Taft at the White House. She participated in Kentucky's centennial celebrations and supported women's suffrage. She was the founder and organizer of the Kenton County Audubon Society and served as president of the MacDowell Society and the Covington Art Club. She was also a member of the Keturah Moss Taylor Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1907, she founded the Colonial Daughters of America. In 1915, she founded the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century. In 1921, she led the creation of the National Society of the Dames of the Court of Honor.
Personal life and death
Taney never married and lived mot of her adult life at her Covington mansion at 312 Garrard Street.
Taney died on October 9, 1926 at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Covington, following a long period of illness.{{cite news |author= |date= October 10, 1936|title= Noted Northern Kentucky Clubwoman Taken by Death: Miss Mary Florence Taney Succumbs at Hospital After Long Illness; Founded Colonial Dames and Audobon Society|url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kentucky-post-obituary-for-mary-flor/134112565/|work= The Kentucky Post|location= |publisher= |access-date= March 12, 2025}}
On October 11, 1936, the Catholic Ladies of Columbia held services for Taney at a local funeral home. A requiem high mass was sung for Taney at on St. Mary's Cathedral on October 12, 1936, followed by a burial in St. Mary's Cemetery.
References
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Category:American women company founders
Category:American women biographers
Category:American women lyricists
Category:Catholics from Kentucky
Category:Daughters of the American Revolution people
Category:Founders of lineage societies
Category:Members of the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century