Mary O'Malley, M.D.

A few years ago, when I studied the original minutes of the early Washington Psychoanalytic Society, I discovered, among other things, that Dr. Mary O'Malley, whose name was then unfamiliar to me, had been a truly outstanding member of the early society. Not only was she a charter member, the first secretary, and the first female president but she was also responsible for the reestablishment of the society in 1925 after its dissolution in 1918. She was, in addition, the only member who had attended every meeting from 1914 until 1929. Considering all that O'Malley had contributed to the society, I found it puzzling that most analysts currently at the Washington Psychoanalytic Society had never heard of her. Many, however, were familiar with the names of Lucile Dooley, Clara Thompson, and Ernest Hadley, colleagues of O'Malley who had made similar contributions to the early society.

Curious about how O'Malley had faded into obscurity, I decided to try to do some research on her. Although I was able to find only a few references to her in the literature, the references were valuable to my research. Each reference, in its own way, helped me come to the understanding that O'Malley had actually been a pioneer in the early psychoanalytic movement. For example, in his 1928 Presidential Address to the Washington Psychoanalytic Society, Ernest Hadley paid tribute to O'Malley when he said, “To her the Society now largely owes its existence.” He was referring to the fact that O'Malley had helped organize the society