Suffragist Margaret Foley: Irish Women of Massachusetts

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Margaret Foley
(1875-1957)
Born in Dorchester to a working-class family, Margaret grew up in Roxbury and attended Girls High School.  She worked in a hat factory to pay for singing lessons and eventually began organizing women workers.  She had a ‘daring personality and a voice like a trumpet,’ and wasn’t afraid to confront male politicians in public settings, relishing her nickname, the Grand Heckler.  When the 19th Amendment passed in 1920, granting women voting rights, Foley went on the lecture circuit and later worked as Deputy Commissioner of the Child Welfare Division in Boston. 

 Margaret Foley is part of BITA's 2019 Irish Women of Massachusetts series in celebration of Irish Heritage Month and Women's History Month.

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