Likens, Sadie (1840-1920)

Title

Likens, Sadie (1840-1920)

Contributor

Phillip, Emelda

Source

Sadie Likens, Image

birthday

1840-07-14

Birthplace

Trenton, OH

Death Date

1920-07-30

Occupation

Police Officer

Superintendent

Jail Matron

Biographical Text

Sadie was Denver's first policewoman; she came to the rescue of many abused women and children. Born to Reverend Moses Morehouse and his wife, Rhoda Potter Morehouse, she was youngest of six children. Although no school records were found, her advanced literacy as an adult suggests that she had some schooling during her teenage years. Sadie became heavily involved with the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). She participated in efforts to stop people from drinking alcohol and also to push laws protecting women and children. She worked as a superintendent at the WCTU home. She soon took the position of Denver's first jail and police matron, managing new female prisoners and seeing to their well-being. Sadie then resigned from her position at the prison and became the superintendent for the State Home and Industrial School for Girls. She helped girls that were leading troubled lives. In 1881, Sadie helped start the Farragut Relief Corps, an organization that helped struggling veterans. During World War I, she volunteered with the American Legion, which supported returning soldiers.

Sadie was nineteen years old when she married a farmer named David Washburn. They had their son Fred a year later. Unfortunately, both Sadie's husband and her son died of pneumonia. In 1869, she remarried William Likens. They had four children named, Ada Belle, Reuel, Velma, and Clarence. Sadie moved to Denver with her children when her marriage with William ended over him being sentenced to four years of hard labor for forging a client’s signature. In 1920, Sadie’s long life of charity and public service came to an end when she died after suffering a long illness.

Bibliography

Sadie Likens, History Colorado

Sadie Likens, Colorado Encyclopedia