The Head of the suffrage department for the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), she was a key figure in the Prohibition Party and Presbyterian Church, active in both local and national politics, and an advocate of reform laws.

[9] In 1883 or 1884, Brehm left her job as a bookkeeper in Sandusky and moved to Olney, Illinois, where she taught art, embroidery, and painting for five years.

[26] In addition, Catt appeared at the 26th Convention of the National WCTU (1899) in Seattle, Washington, in order to present NAWSA's position in person.

[27] The WCTU rejected these overtures with the explanation, "...while earnestly desiring harmony and unity of action, together with mutual co-operation, we cannot sacrifice judgement nor convictions of duty, and must continue to follow out our own plans and methods..."[28] Further, at a speech given by Brehm titled "Why Woman Wants the Ballot," she stressed the importance of the female vote to achieve prohibition:"What we need in this country is a snow-storm of pure Christian prohibition ballots, which will make lifeless and powerless the great, organized, legalized rum system, and the women are asking for the ballot that we may help you men to bring about a snow-storm which shall accomplish this purpose.

[19][20][33] At the National American Convention of 1906 for NAWSA, Brehm represented the WCTU as president of Illinois and presented on "Heroes and Heroines" as part of Carrie Chapman Catt's program "Women in History.

"[34][35][36] Upon retiring from office in the WCTU, Brehm traveled across the United States as a lecturer for the temperance and welfare department of the Presbyterian Church for 25 years.

[18][22][30][31] She lectured on the church's behalf not only in the United States, but also in Canada, Ireland, Scotland, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.

Her travels included representing the Federal Council of Churches at The Hague, Netherlands, in September, 1911, and addressing the World's Sunday School Convention in Zurich, Switzerland, in July 1913.

"[18][21][37][38][39] At a speech Brehm gave in Omaha, Nebraska, she argued that people who abstain from alcohol and maintain their health and physical condition have a better chance at success than those that do not.

In 1913, President Woodrow Wilson appointed her as a delegate to the World Anti-Alcohol Congress in Milan, Italy, where she argued for scientific temperance.

[43][44] Additionally, Brehm spoke before both the Senate and the House of Representatives,[43][45] and authored a petition urging Congress to create a Department of Education.

Although Brehm was considered for the vice president candidacy at the time, she withdrew her name from the nomination, believing Ira Landrith would make a better candidate as he had a strong constituency in the south.

[49] Activists Mary Harris Armor and Ella A. Boole were also considered for the vice presidency nomination, and women played a crucial role within the party.

"[52][53] At the National Party Convention telegrams were sent to President Wilson and United States Senators urging them to pass the Susan B. Anthony suffrage amendment.

[47][48][54][22] Although she was considered a nominee for both the vice president and presidential candidacies, and was endorsed through the primary elections of Wisconsin, North Dakota, Minnesota and Illinois, she declined once again, choosing to focus on her State Senate run.

Faris, praised her abilities during the campaign with several memorable comments:"[Miss Brehm] is the peer of any candidate now running, although she doesn’t wear a skull cap or smoke an upside down pipe.

"With a statesman's grasp of world-wide movements, a commanding finesence (finesse) and splendid voice, Miss Brehm wins her audiences with her first sentence and carries conviction in her arguments".

[78] At the Cincinnati meeting of the National WCTU, Brehm scolded the crowd for waving their handkerchiefs in the air as an enthusiastic response to favored speakers.

[80] While there, she shared her home with two single female boarders, a woman named Mary Kennedy[81] as well as fellow Sandusky native Jessie Williams[81][82] and became involved in local issues.

[85][86] While some of the newspapers at the time reported her injuries as "minor"[87] to "torn scalp and sprained left leg,"[88] or "deep scalp wounds"[89] or even a compound fracture of the leg and head injuries,[90] her death certificate listed the cause of death as "mitral regurgitation" with a contributing factor of "shock from accident on Jan. 1, 1926.

Brehm's host for the Rose Parade viewing was Charles Campbell, an old friend who resided in Pasadena and whose family she had visited during a Hawaiian speaking tour the year before.

[92] At trial, Campbell related his unease at seeing the flimsy construction for the chosen grandstand and his hesitation on moving forward with tickets for that viewing location.

[99] According to contemporaneous reports, Elizabeth Forth also took exception with the distribution of funds to mission work for "Mexicans in the Los Angeles Presbytary", as well as other contributions to missionary organizations.