Mary Agnes Sullivan (1878 or 1879 – September 11, 1950[1]) was a pioneering policewoman in New York City for 35 years.

She was born and raised on Gansevoort Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood[2] of New York City, the daughter of John J. and Johanna Gayne Sullivan,[3] both immigrants from Killarney in Ireland.

[4] Her father was a grocer[5] but many family members were on the police force, including her brothers and an uncle[5] as well as three cousins.

Although matrons were not considered part of the police ranks, they were required to take a civil service examination to get their positions.

[11] Sullivan quickly made a name for herself in the department via her involvement in the Rosenthal murder case.

[7] The police initially arrested Frank Cirofici in the case, and his "moll" Rosie Harris[7] pleaded for his release.

[13] Eventually she met the wives of other suspects Harry Horowitz, Louis Rosenberg, and Jacob Seidenshner.

[14] From 1913 to 1918 Sullivan was assigned to Harlem where as a detective she investigated illicit activities in "clip joints" and other crimes.

[15] In 1918 she also co-founded city's Policewoman's Endowment Association[18][19] in an effort to lobby the department for better treatment of its women employees, such as equal pay.

[20] Her successes angered her NYPD bosses, who demoted her back to matron and transferred her to Long Island.

[22] Sullivan had another career setback when, in April 1929 she led a raid of one of Margaret Sanger's birth control clinics, leading to protests.

[26] In 1931 it was announced Sullivan and her policewomen would be working on a new initiative against "fortune tellers, palmists, mediums, clairvoyants" with the assistance of Julien Proskauer and the Society of American Magicians.