Lillian Mae Hatch Holley
Lillian Mae Hatch Holley was born August 11, 1890, in Newton County in Kentland, Indiana. She became the first female sheriff in Crown Point, Indiana and Lake County in 1933 and served two years. She is best known for being the sheriff at the time of Public Enemy #1, John Dillinger's, escape from the Lake County Jail. She is also well known for her contributions to the Lake County Historical Society as well as pioneering the way for women in law enforcement. She passed away on June 12, 1994, at the age of 103.
Before the Badge
Lillian Holley was the wife of Roy F. Holley, a dentist in Hammond. However, Roy Holley decided to leave his position and run for the sheriff position in Crown Point, Indiana. He later became the 31st Crown Point Sheriff. Before the badges this couple received, they lived in what is known today as the Holley House with their two twin daughters. Lillian adored this house and was heartbroken when it came time to leave when she received her badge after the death of her husband. Lillian left the house as sheriffs at the time lived in the jail alongside their inmates. She later returned to the home after her time in office and remained there for over 60 years until her death in 1994.
This house is an 1890 Victorian Queen Anne with 6,800 square feet. It has 7 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. It was originally built for Flora Norton Biggs the widow of James H. Biggs of Cincinnati. Flora was the daughter of Aaron Hart and Martha Reed Dyer who were the largest landowners in Lake County before the turn-of-the-20th-century. [5]
This home is now a part of the Holley Historical District which gives tours of the home that help to serve as a glimpse into what the Holley's lifestyle was like before fame and heartache as well as aiding in the preservation of history.
Its monetary value today is $1.1 million but its historical value is priceless. [12]
A Woman In Charge
Unfortunately for the Holley family, Roy Holley lost his life in 1933 in an attempt to arrest a farmer who murdered a neighbor in retaliation for cutting down a tree. He was shot and killed. A day after this event occurred, Lillian Holley took over as the Crown Point Sheriff. [9]
Many were hesitant in having a woman in office to protect them. In 1932, a year before Holley took office, The Federal Economy Act banned more than one family member from working for the United States government. This was aimed at diminishing the employment of married women due to many men being unemployed. However, this act nor the hesitation from residents of Crown Point didn't stop the newly widowed Holley from stepping into her husband's shoes.
In 1934, one year into Lillian's Holley term as Sheriff, famous gangster John Dillinger arrived at the Lake County Jail. Little did Sheriff Holley know, this arrival of the notorious gangster would lead to a historical jailbreak and manhunt for public enemy #1.
Women Against the World
Marriage Bars existed in the early 1900's to the 1950's/1960's.
In 1932, the federal government even introduced marriage bars to the United States under Section 213 of the Economy Act of 1932. This included a section that required the government to fire one member of each married couple working in government due to women’s jobs inevitably paying less than men’s.
During this time period, women were normally behind the scenes of the operation of the town. “Voluntary associations and institutions, including the family, the church, ladies’ aids, charity groups, lodges, and neighborly helpfulness, were at the core of midwestern towns in the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. [14] However, Holley was not a part of that as she became the front and center of the town when she became the first female Lake County Sheriff, a day after her husband’s death, therefore putting her as a working widowed woman.
“Nine states had marriage [work ban] laws prior to the Depression,” writes historian Megan McDonald Way, “and by 1940, 26 states restricted married women’s employment in state government jobs.” As women around the country struggled to make ends meet during the nation’s deepest economic crisis, they became an easy scapegoat for people looking for someone to blame. [2]
Marriage bars did not only apply to married women. Widowed women with children were considered to be married at times, preventing them from being hired, causing them to be unable to provide for their families. With this in mind, many women chose to hide their marital status as well as next of kin to ensure eligibility of being hired for jobs.
Marriage bars were not banned by law until 1964 when Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, sex, or ethnic origin. [8]