Steagall, Mary

In 1914 Mary Steagall campaigned as the nominee of the Progressive party for the office of Illinois State Superintendent of Instruction. She did not win. In a field of six candidates, she came in third with 89,300 (9.55%) votes. Steagall earned her PhD in biology from the University of Chicago in 1908. Five years later she joined the biology department at Southern Illinois University, and became the head of it in 1921. She served in this position for several decades. But Steagall was also known for her work in zoology, ecology, and education.