Marie Diana Equi (1872 - 1952)

Dr. Marie Diana Equi was born April 7, 1872 in New Bedford, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States.^[1][2] She was a daughter of John M. Aque and Sarah A Mullen.^[1][2][3]

She was forced to drop out of high school to support her family by working in the textile mills until she and a woman friend, Betsey Holcomb, left for a new life in Oregon. In 1892, they settled on a homestead along the Columbia River near The Dalles.

In 1893, Equi horsewhipped a school superintendent in The Dalles for refusing to pay the salary owed to her companion. She later moved to San Francisco to attend medical school.^[4]

In 1903, she graduated from the University of Oregon Medical School to become one of the small number of women physicians in the state. After an internship in Pendleton, she established a general practice in Portland, primarily treating working-class women and children, often at no charge.

Equi openly enjoyed "lesbian relationships". For fifteen years she lived with Harriet Frances Speckart and they adopted an infant girl whom the two women raised.

From 1903-1913, Equi was a Progressive Era activist. She aligned herself with Oregon's woman suffragist, Abigail Scott Duniway. She also pushed for an eight-hour workday, state support for higher education, and prison reform.

In 1906, she earned widespread acclaim for her relief work in San Francisco. But a violent clash with police during a Portland cannery strike in 1913 radicalized Equi. She espoused anarchism, no longer believing that gradual political reform could achieve justice for workers. She supported the Industrial Workers of the World and criticized Portland's civic leaders for oppressing the working class and suppressing radical dissent. Never content with protest alone, Equi obtained food and shelter for the unemployed, distributed birth control information, and provided abortions to both poor and upper-class women.

In 1918, Equi was convicted under the Sedition Act for speaking against U.S. involvement in World War I. She was received at San Quentin Prison, California on October 19, 1920.^[5] She served for ten months and was prisoner number 54110.^[5] Equi was the only known lesbian and radical to be incarcerated at the prison. She was released in 1921 and lived a quieter life.

She lived with the radical Elizabeth Gurley Flynn for a decade. She gave up her medical practice in 1930 due to ill health. She provided for her daughter, Mary, who, in turn, cared for her through her final days in Portland.

Equi died July 13, 1952 in Multnomah, Oregon, United States from Renal Failure.^[6][7] She was buried in Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Mausoleum in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, United States.^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915, Mary B. Aquai, 1872.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915, Mary B. Aquai, 07 Apr 1872, New Bedford, Massachusetts; citing reference ID #144, Massachusetts Archives, Boston.
3. ↑ United States Census, 1880, Mary Aque in household of John Aque, New Bedford, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district ED 115, sheet 230C.
4. ↑ 1900 Census: "United States Census, 1900"
   citing Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: T623; Line: 100; Digital film/folder number: 004111989; FHL microfilm: 1240104; Image number: 492; Sheet number: 9; Sheet letter: B; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N00770-4
   FamilySearch Record: M9G7-6L6 (accessed 18 October 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: S3HT-DY49-ZD4
   Name: Marie Aqua; Marital Status: Single; Race: White; Census Date: 1900; Census Place: San Francisco, California, United States; Birth Date: February 1875; Birth Place: Massachusetts; Father Birth Place: Italy; Relationship To Head: Boarder; Mother Birth Place: Italy; Age: 25 years; Marriage Date (Original): 1898; Record Nbr: 23691; Vis Status: VISIBLE; System Of Record: SLS.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} California State Archives; Sacramento, California; San Quentin State Prison Inmate Identification Photograph Cards/Inmate 32500-33820.
6. ↑ United States Deceased Physician File (AMA), 1864-1968, Marie Diana Equi, 1952.
7. ↑ Oregon Death Index, 1903-1998, Marie Equi, 13 Jul 1952, citing Multnomah, Oregon, certificate number 8396, Oregon State Archives and Records Center, Salem.
8. ↑ Find A Grave, memorial page for Dr Marie Diana Equi (7 Apr 1872–13 Jul 1952), Find a Grave Memorial ID 139839557, citing Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Mausoleum, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, USA.

• 1900 Census: "United States Census, 1900"
  citing Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: T623; Line: 100; Digital film/folder number: 004111989; FHL microfilm: 1240104; Image number: 492; Sheet number: 9; Sheet letter: B; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N00770-4
  FamilySearch Record: M9G7-6L6 (accessed 18 October 2023)
  FamilySearch Image: S3HT-DY49-ZD4
  Name: Marie Aqua; Marital Status: Single; Race: White; Census Date: 1900; Census Place: San Francisco, California, United States; Birth Date: February 1875; Birth Place: Massachusetts; Father Birth Place: Italy; Relationship To Head: Boarder; Mother Birth Place: Italy; Age: 25 years; Marriage Date (Original): 1898; Record Nbr: 23691; Vis Status: VISIBLE; System Of Record: SLS.
• "Oregon, Multnomah County, Voting Registration Records, 1908-1958", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:711P-4X6Z : 21 October 2019), Marie H Equi, 1913.
• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XC9B-6CM : accessed 26 March 2020), Marie D Equi, Portland (Districts 1-219), Multnomah, Oregon, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 80, sheet 5B, line 93, family 235.
• "Oregon, Multnomah County, Voting Registration Records, 1908-1958", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WMTV-7ZZM : 21 October 2019), Marie D Equi, 1936.

See Also:

• Wikipedia: Marie Equi
• Wikidata: Item Q274840, en:Wikipedia
• Dr Marie Equi, National Park Service
• Dr Marie Diana Equi, National Institutes of Health
• Helquist, Michael, Marie Equi: Radical Politics and Outlaw Passions, Oregon State University Press, 2015