THE MAID AND THE SOCIALITE: The Brave Women Behind Green Bay’s Scandalous Minahan Trials

At the turn of the 20th century, cities around the world were rife with syphilis, yet no blood test could prove it. Two women in Green Bay, Wisconsin found their lives destroyed by that simple fact. Mary, an illiterate maid, and Mollie, a college-educated socialite, fell victim to the physical violence and mental abuse of celebrated surgeon Dr. John R. Minahan. To silence them, he claimed they had that shameful and dreaded disease. But as medical science advanced and suffragettes marched for their rights, Mary and Mollie found the courage to stand up for theirs. This is the only full account written about Dr. John R. Minahan, whose family dominated Green Bay’s professional, business, and political arenas from 1892 to 1954. Dr. Minahan’s wealth built a college stadium, science center, and six-story office building—all named for him—while history lost, or perhaps erased, Mary’s and Mollie’s heroic stories—until now.Disturbingly, these women’s intimate narratives embody the same battles dominating headlines today: men’s entitlement versus women’s liberty, wealth versus poverty, and false information versus scientific fact. This is a story of power, abuse, and seeking justice. It is the story of Dr. Minahan versus the maid and the socialite.