Laura Freele Osborn

Laura A. Freele Osborn (1866 - 1955) was a suffragist, campaigner for school reform, and long-serving member of the School Board for Detroit Public Schools in Detroit, Michigan during the early half of the 20th century.

She was born and raised in Huntington, Indiana. She taught school in Huntington until her marriage in 1891 to Francis C. Osborn a businessman and inventor of Detroit.

She was first elected to the Detroit School Board in 1917, campaigning on a platform of reform. She was the first woman elected to citywide office in Detroit. She served on the School Board for 38 years, until her death in 1955. During that time she was selected as School Board president seven (7) times. Laura Osborn also played a role in developing Wayne State University in the mid 1930s. Fact|date=October 2007

She is also credited with having mobilized women in to the cause of school reform and temperance, and also to have "broken the prejudice against women officeholders in Detroit". Fact|date=October 2007 She also ran unsuccessfully for City Council two times.

Legacy

* Osborn High School in Detroit, built in the late 1950s, was named in her honour.

* She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1995.

ources

* [http://hall.michiganwomenshalloffame.org/honoree.php?C=148&A=20~114~96~172~79~2~62~113~46~80~3~152~167~74~138~63~92~196~4~32~121~84~48~153~192~41~129~82~69~109~42~93~97~56~175~103~13~207~21~126~104~5~98~131~27~53~38~195~139~106~57~22~147~58~107~127~6~173~144~85~17~148~47~208~49~43~205~135~168~181~33~115~176~23~14~75~169~130~162~44~198~204~99~7~118~119~8~136~50~15~157~65~150~108~24~154~170~163~76~9~209~110~140~70~59~51~155~16~158~156~60~182~191~116~190~28~164~125~160~197~86~193~29~134~39~159~111~61~177~132~87~52~199~54~35~210~211~64~112~200~183~165~100~10~122~71~77~94~120~11~36~25~151~178~55~88~45~184~128~72~78~171~141~180~206~189~73~123~83~89~145~18~66~26~30~212~188~142~90~19~40~161~133~81~67~37~146~217~91~143~12~31~68~1~213~101~117~214~174~102~137~185~124~95~216~166~187 Michigan Women's Historical Center and Hall of Fame, Laura Freele Osborn]
*"Detroit News" Feature entitled "Michigan Women's Hall of Fame," 1928 "(no relation to the current Hall of Fame)".
* [http://schools.detroit.k12.mi.us/jsp/index.jsp?Osborn Osborn High School]
* [http://www.southend.wayne.edu/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1342 Beckwith, Jamie, "Pewabic tile fountains display beauty, historical significance," "The South End", April 21, 2005]
* [http://www.detroit.k12.mi.us/admin/bs/bss/fm/trans/Newsletters/TransNews_2007_04_v2-8.pdf "The Folks Behind DPS Building Names: Laura Freele-Osborn," "Transporting News" (Office of Student Transportation, Detroit Public Schools) Vol. 2, No. 8, April 2007, page 3]