“Unsinkable” Molly Brown launched America’s first female Senate bid from this Colorado mansion

Margaret Brown’s Trailblazing Senate Campaign and Historic Preservation Work

Margaret Brown wasn’t just the “Unsinkable” Titanic survivor. In 1914, when women had barely won the vote in Colorado, she jumped into a U.S. Senate race no woman had ever won before.

Her campaign made news coast to coast as she toured the state fighting for miners’ rights. “No pink tea policies,” she vowed, promising “a regular man’s kind of campaign.” Though World War I cut her run short, she later saved poet Eugene Field’s home from the wrecking ball, creating Denver’s first historic preservation project.

The Molly Brown House Museum now showcases both her political trailblazing and preservation work that changed Colorado forever.

Colorado Women Won the Vote in 1893

Colorado became the first state where men voted to give women voting rights on November 7, 1893. Voters backed the change by 6,000 votes after a smart campaign by the Colorado Non-Partisan Equal Suffrage Association.

Bar owners barely fought it because they didn’t think it would pass. Most newspapers supported women voting, with 33 papers for it and only 11 against.

This big change let Colorado women like Margaret Brown vote before most American women could.

Mining Money Kicked Off Margaret’s Political Work

Margaret married J. J. Brown in Leadville before moving to Denver in 1894 after he struck it rich in mining. She jumped into politics right away, working with groups fighting for women’s voting rights.

Brown helped start Colorado’s first court system for kids and backed cultural diversity in Denver.

Her brave actions during the Titanic sinking in 1912 made her famous across America, giving her political voice more power.

Coal Miners’ Deaths Pushed Brown to Fight for Justice

On April 20, 1914, violence broke out at Ludlow when National Guard troops shot at striking miners, killing over 20 people, including women and children.

Margaret spoke out about the awful working conditions miners faced and their need for better treatment. She knew both Colorado women leaders and mine owner John D. Rockefeller personally.

Despite her rich friends, she stood firmly with the miners against the Rockefellers, using her fame to push for changes.

Women Leaders Backed Margaret for Senate

Voting rights leaders pushed Margaret to run for U. S. Senate in 1914 after her work on the Ludlow massacre. She ran six years before all American women got voting rights nationwide.

No woman had ever served in the Senate before, making her run truly new ground.

Many Coloradans thought their “mine angel” belonged in Congress after watching her fight for the Ludlow miners.

Newspapers Across America Wrote About Her Campaign

Papers nationwide ran stories about “Mrs. Brown for Congress” as Margaret started her Senate run.

She traveled across Colorado by train, holding meetings and giving speeches to build support. Margaret told voters she meant business: “If I go into this fight I am going to win. There will be no mincing matters, no pink tea policies. It will be a regular man’s kind of campaign, stump speaking, spread-eagle and all.”

Her Platform Focused on "The Human Side of Every Question"

Margaret built her campaign around fighting for miners’ rights and better working conditions.

She told reporters: “If I do go to the Senate, I shall be specifically interested in all matters relating to women and children. In general, I shall stand for the human side of every question.”

She noted that Colorado men accepted women voters: “Our men out in Colorado do not question our right to vote.

The Newport Conference Showed Her Leadership

In 1914, Margaret helped put together the International Women’s Rights conference in Newport, Rhode Island.

She worked with Alva Vanderbilt Belmont to host the “Conference of Great Women,” bringing together activists from all social classes.

Women from America and England met for two weeks to strengthen their push for voting rights. Margaret spoke on opening night and hosted many talks at her Newport home, Mon Etui.

War in Europe Ended Her Senate Dreams

Margaret stopped her Senate campaign when World War I started, choosing instead to help as director of the American Committee for Devastated France.

During the war, she worked with the first motorized ambulance corps.

Her work setting up female ambulance drivers, nurses, and food helpers earned her the French Legion of Honor in 1932.

She Saved a Famous Poet’s Home From Being Torn Down

Margaret became Denver’s first historic saver when she rescued poet Eugene Field’s home from being knocked down. In 1927, as a big fan of Field’s poetry, she bought his Colfax Avenue cottage and gave it to Denver.

After Field moved to Chicago in 1883, the house fell apart until local history lovers talked Margaret into saving it. She moved the home from its spot near the Denver Mint to a safe place in Washington Park.

The Field House Became a Beloved Library

The cottage moved to 715 South Franklin Street in Washington Park, where it served as the Eugene Field branch library. For 40 years, the home welcomed readers until a bigger library opened in 1970.

Various nonprofit groups used the building afterward, and it still stands in the park today.

Nearby sits Mabel Landrum Torrey’s sculpture of Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, characters from one of Field’s most popular children’s poems.

The house and statue together honor the literary legacy Margaret worked so hard to preserve.

Margaret’s Twin Legacies Live On in Colorado

Brown’s 1914 Senate campaign proved women could run serious political races even before they won nationwide voting rights.

Her rescue of Eugene Field’s house started Denver’s first preservation project, saving an important piece of cultural history.

Both achievements showed her belief that women deserved equal political power and that Denver’s heritage needed protection for future generations.

Her own home later sparked Denver’s preservation movement when Historic Denver, Inc. formed in 1970 to save it from demolition.

Through politics and preservation, Margaret Brown left Colorado forever changed.

Visiting Molly Brown House, Colorado

The Molly Brown House at 1340 Pennsylvania Street in Denver tells Margaret Brown’s story as one of America’s first female Senate candidates in 1914 and her historic preservation work saving Eugene Field’s home.

You can take self-guided tours for $17 adults or guided tours for $22. The museum opens Tuesday-Sunday 10am-4pm (until 7pm Thursdays).

Buy tickets ahead since tours sell out. Only the first floor has lift access, and there’s no air conditioning.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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