Scranton monument to lawmaker and women’s rights pioneer Marion L. Munley will be unveiled on Oct. 15
From a press release:
Marion L. Munley, a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and pioneer in women’s equality, will become the first woman included in Scranton’s Distinguished Citizens Memorial when her monument is unveiled on Friday, Oct. 15 on the Spruce Street side of the Lackawanna County Courthouse at 1 p.m.
Munley (1905-1983) was chosen by officials from the Lackawanna County Arts and Cultural Department and the Lackawanna Historical Society for her indelible mark on state politics and women’s rights. After her husband, Hon. Robert W. Munley, passed away in 1947, she won a special election for his seat in the Pennsylvania State House. She was the first woman elected from Lackawanna County and Northeastern Pennsylvania, and she was reelected to office eight times.
During her tenure, Munley was the first woman elected to a leadership position in the Democratic Caucus in the 300-year history of the legislature. She also became Secretary of the House of Representatives, the first and only woman to hold that position.
Munley was an advocate for equality and fairness throughout her career and was a co-author of House Bill 66 (1959), which prohibited “the discrimination in rate of pay because of sex.” She became the matriarch of a family that would continue in her footsteps in local politics and the legal field. Munley Law was founded in Scranton by Robert W. Munley in 1959 and has grown into one of the nation’s leading personal injury law firms, helping people from all over the country who have been injured by negligence and wrongdoing ans creating many of the laws that protect innocent victims today. The Munley family will honor their grandmother’s legacy and accomplishments with friends at the unveiling ceremony/program.
The Distinguished Citizens Memorial on Courthouse Square also includes the late Gov. Robert P. Casey, U.S. Rep. Joseph M. McDade, and former Pennsylvania Governor and UN Ambassador William Warren Scranton, II.
