Mary Coghlan (1867 - 1951)

Mary's immediate relatives including parents, siblings, partnerships and children in the Coghlan family tree.

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Mary's Family

John Coghlan

Ellen Godfrey Coghlan

Mary Coghlan

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John Coghlan

Unknown - Unknown

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Ellen Godfrey Coghlan

Unknown - Unknown

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In 1867, in the year that Mary Coghlan was born, on March 30th, Alaska was bought by the US from Russia for $7.2 million dollars, which worked out to about 2 cents per acre. The newspapers called it "Seward's Folly" because United States Secretary of State William H. Seward negotiated the purchase and Alaska was seen as frozen, useless land.

In 1888, at the age of 21 years old, Mary was alive when on January 12th, the 'Schoolhouse Blizzard' blanketed Dakota Territory. Montana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas were hit, leaving 235 dead. Many of those who perished were children on their way home from school. The day was relatively warm when it began and the blizzard hit unexpectedly, catching most by surprise.

In 1900, when she was 33 years old, when Floradora opened on Broadway. A huge success in London - opening in 1899 and running for 455 performances - the musical was even more successful in New York - running for 552 performances. The "Floradora girls" were the hit of the show - a "sextette of tall, gorgeous damsels, clad in pink walking costumes, black picture hats and carrying frilly parasols who swished onto the stage and captivated New York for no other reason than they were utterly stunning" ("tall and gorgeous" translated to 5'4"). A sensation, each Floradora girl was said to have married a millionaire.

In 1930, at the age of 63 years old, Mary was alive when as head of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, William Hays established a code of decency that outlined what was acceptable in films. The public - and government - had felt that films in the '20's had become increasingly risque and that the behavior of its stars was becoming scandalous. Laws were being passed. In response, the heads of the movie studios adopted a voluntary "code", hoping to head off legislation. The first part of the code prohibited "lowering the moral standards of those who see it", called for depictions of the "correct standards of life", and forbade a picture from showing any sort of ridicule towards a law or "creating sympathy for its violation". The second part dealt with particular behavior in film such as homosexuality, the use of specific curse words, and miscegenation.

In 1951, in the year of Mary Coghlan's passing, on February 27th, the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution (which limited the number of terms a president may serve to two) was ratified by 36 states, making it a part of the U.S. Constitution. The Amendment was both a reaction to the 4 term Roosevelt presidency and also the recognition of a long-standing tradition in American politics.