Marion L. Munley

Marion L. Munley
Born	(1905-08-19)19 August 1905 Buffalo
Died	September 14, 1983(1983-09-14) (aged 78)
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician

Marion Langan Munley (August 19, 1905 – September 14, 1983) was among the first women elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. She established multiple precedents for women in Pennsylvania public life and was a prominent leader in her community.

Marion L. Munley was born in Buffalo, New York, on August 19, 1905, to Martin and Julia Walsh Langan. A graduate of St. John's High School, Munley attended Marywood College (now Marywood University) and the Powell School of Business in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

In the 1920s, she served as secretary for U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Boland and the "Hoban for Judge" campaigns. She became an active member of the Democratic Party, spearheading many Democratic functions in Lackawanna County.

She married Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Robert W. Munley, whose father, William J. Munley, also served in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The couple had two sons, Robert W. Munley Jr., a prominent truck accident attorney, and the Honorable James M. Munley, a federal district court judge.^[1]

Following her husband's death on January 25, 1947, Munley became the first woman to represent Lackawanna County in the state house after winning a special election on September 9, 1947. She was reelected eight times after.^[2]

Munley was the co-author of House Bill 66 (1959), also known as the Equal Pay for Women Act, which prohibited “the discrimination in rate of pay of sex conferring powers and imposing duties on the Department of Labor and Industry.” Pennsylvania Governor David L. Lawrence signed the act into law on December 17, 1959.

Munley served on the Commission on Interstate Cooperation from 1961-1962. She was instrumental in the development of industry in Lackawanna County and in the process of developing the Archbald Glacial Pothole area into a state park. She was also a determined proponent of labor legislation and equal pay for women in Pennsylvania.^[3]

In 1963-1964, she was elected as the Minority Caucus Secretary, the first woman to be elected to a leadership position in the Democratic caucus.

From 1965-1966, she became Secretary of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the first and only woman to hold that position.

Munley was a member of the Young Democrats of Lackawanna County, the Blakely Democratic Club, the Jermyn Democratic Club, and the Women's Democratic Club of Mayfield. She founded the 20th Ward Women’s Democratic Association. Munley was instrumental in the development of industry in Lackawanna County, and in the process of developing the Archbald Glacial Pothole area into a state park. She was also a determined proponent of labor legislation and equal pay for women in Pennsylvania.^[4]

Munley died on September 15, 1983, in her home of 50 years in Archbald, Pennsylvania.^[5]

In 1987, Munley became the first woman to have her portrait hung in the Pennsylvania State Capitol. The oil portrait was a gift of her sons to Pennsylvania House of Representatives Speaker K. Leroy Irvis. It is the only portrait of a female Member of the state General Assembly owned by the House of Representatives. The portrait is currently hanging in the Member's Lounge.

The Honorable Marion L. Munley Endowed Scholarship, established at Marywood University by Munley's family in her honor, is presented to a student interested in law and/or public service.^[6]

Munley was included in the Distinguished Citizens Memorial in Scranton, PA, in October 2021, joining Robert Casey Sr., William Scranton, Joseph M. McDade, and Michael Eagen. Her monument is on display at the Lackawanna County Courthouse. She is the first and only woman who has received the honor.^[7]

On July 1, 2024, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives adopted a resolution recognizing Munley as the first woman to be elected state representative from northeastern Pennsylvania. House Resolution 339 designated Aug. 19, 2024, as "Marion Munley Day" in Pennsylvania. ^[8]