legal herstory pioneers

Bella Abzug

lawyer, member of congress

Select contributions:

Between 1971 and 1977, member of Congress from New York.
In 1973, primary sponsor of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.
In 1974, primary sponsor of the Equality Act.
Authored the Comprehensive Child Development Act.
In 1991, co-founded the Women's Environment and Development Organization, an international activist and advocacy network.

Biography: Trackbill, WEDO

Annette Abbott Adams

judge, lawyer

Select contributions:

In 1914, first woman to be an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District
of California.
In 1920, first woman to be the Assistant Attorney General of the United States.
In 1942, first woman to be appointed a presiding appellate court justice in California.
In 1950, served by special assignment on one case in the California Supreme Court,
becoming the first woman to sit on that court.

Biography: Wikipedia, CA Courts

Jane Addams

activist, social worker

Select contributions:

In 1889, co-founded Hull House, the first settlement house in the United States.
In 1919, co-founded the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, later becoming
the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1920, co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union (“ACLU”).
Wrote articles advocating for women’s suffrage.
Co-founded the Women’s Trade Union League (“WTUL”) and lobbied for protective labor laws
for women, including an eight-hour workday and a minimum wage.

Biography: Women's History, Jane Addams

Madeleine Albright

secretary of state, advisor

Select contributions:

In 1982, joined the academic staff at Georgetown University, directing University's program on women in global politics.
In 1993, appointed Ambassador to the United Nations by President Clinton.
In 1997, became the first woman U.S. Secretary of State.

Biography: State Department, Wikipedia

Elreta Melton Alexander

lawyer, judge, author

Select contributions:

In 1943, became the first black woman to be admitted to Columbia Law School.
In 1947, became the first black woman to practice law in North Carolina.
In 1968, became the first black woman elected as a judge in North Carolina.
In 1969, created the Judgment Day Program for first-time juvenile offenders in her court as an alternative to sentencing and incarceration to allow for rehabilitation.

Biography: Columbia, NC Archives, Wikipedia

Florence Allen

judge, lawyer

Select contributions:

In 1917, successfully defended women's right to vote in municipal elections under charter of East Cleveland, State ex rel. Taylor v. French, et al.
In 1919, secured the women streetcar conductors' right to retain employment after men returned from WWI, Employees v. Cleveland Railway Co.
In 1920, elected as a judge in the Court of Common Pleas Cuyahoga County, OH.
In 1922, elected to the OH Supreme Court, the first woman elected to any state supreme court.
In 1934, appointed to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, the first woman to be appointed to the federal appellate court.

Biography: National Park Service

Gloria Allred

attorney, activist

Select contributions:

In 1980, fought against L.A. County’s practice of shackling pregnant female prisoners during labor and childbirth.
In 1983, sued an L.A. restaurant for refusing to seat same sex couples.
In 1984, sued an L.A. dry cleaners for charging more for women's clothing than men's.
In 1997, represented a woman who was fired for being pregnant.
In 2004, filed the first suit challenging the ban on same sex marriage in California.
In 2008, represented CA women farmworkers in a class action suit for gender discrimination.

Biography: LA Times, The New Yorker

Violet Neatley Anderson

attorney, activist

Select contributions:

In 1922, was the first female prosecutor in Chicago.
In 1926, was the first Black woman admitted to practice before SCOTUS.
In 1936, lobbied Congress for the Bankhead-Jones Act, enacted in 1937, which helped low-income farm workers become farm owners.

Biography: Black Past

Anne L. Armstrong

politician, diplomat, presidential advisor

Select contributions:

Between 1971-1973, was the first woman co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
In 1972, was the keynote speaker at the Republican National Convention, the first woman to do so from either major party.
In 1972, was the first woman to be appointed Counselor to the President.
Founded the Office of Women's Programs in the White House, now know as The White House Council on Women and Girls.
In 1976, was the first woman to be appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Biography: Wikipedia, Congress

Barbara Nachtrieb Armstrong

law professor, attorney

Select contributions:

In 1921, became the first woman tenure track law professor.
In 1932, wrote the book, Insuring the Essentials: Minimum Wage Plus Social Insurance - A Living Wage Program, which advocating for a living wage, social security and other programs.
In 1935, drafted the language for the Social Security Act.

Biography: Berkeley Law

Marguerite Kamehaokalani Ashford

lawyer

Select contributions:

In 1915, was the first woman inducted into the Michigan chapter of the Order of the Coif.
In 1916, first woman admitted to practice in the territory of Hawaii.
In 1923, appointed to the Uniform Law Comm'n.
Between 1934-1953, served as attorney for the territorial legislative body during session, writing much of the legislation of the time.
In 1950, only woman delegate to the Hawaii Constitutional Convention.
In 1953, only woman appointed to a major cabinet post in Hawaii, Commissioner of Public Lands

Biography: Wikipedia, ULC, Newspaper

Lemma Barkeloo

lawyer

Select contributions:

In 1869, was the first woman law student in the United States with Phoebe Couzins.
In 1870, was the first woman admitted to the Missouri bar and the first woman to try a case in a court in the United States.

Biography: Washington University Journal, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Mary Bartelme

lawyer, judge, social worker

Select contributions:

In 1897, was the first woman appointed Cook County Public Guardian in Illinois.
In 1913, created the Girls' Court, staffed by women, hearing only cases of girls as she believed they were neglected by the system.
From 1916 to 1917, served as vice chair of the National Woman's Party.
In 1923, was the first woman to be elected Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Established "Mary Clubs," group homes for girls.
Nicknamed "Suitcase Mary", for providing young women leaving the judicial system with a suitcase of clothing and toiletries.

Biography: Jane Addams, Wikipedia

Mary McLeod Bethune

activist, presidential advisor

Select contributions:

In 1904, founded the Daytona Literary and Industrial Training Institute for Negro Girls.
In 1911, founded the Mary McLeod Hospital and Training School for Nurses.
In 1924, elected president of the National Association of Colored Women, focusing on political advocacy and women's empowerment.
Advisor to 4 presidents between 1904 and 1947.
In 1936, became the first Black woman to head an agency as Director of Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration.
In 1942, served as a member of the advisory board that created the Women's Army Corps.

Biography: Smithsonian, Women's History

Corinne Claiborne ("Lindy") Boggs

member of congress

Select contributions:

In 1974, inserted the words "or sex or marital status" into the antidiscrimination clause of the 1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act during mark up in the Banking and Currency Committee
In 1976, as Chair of the Democratic National Convention, became the first woman to preside over a national political convention.

Biography: House of Representatives

Jane Bolin

judge, lawyer, activist

Select Contributions:

In 1931, was the first Black woman to graduate from Yale with a law degree.
In 1939, was the first Black woman to become a judge in the United States.
As a judge in New York family courts, successfully advocated for ending the assignment of probation officers to children based on race and the practice of segregation in child placement facilities.

Biography: Biography, Mcleod, Jacqueline A., Daughter of the Empire State: The Life of Judge Jane Bolin, p. 62 (University of Illinois Press, 2011)

Myra Bradwell

publisher, suffragist

Select Contributions:

In 1868, founded the Chicago Legal News, which published information about legal opinions, published laws and ordinances, and criticized corruption.
1869, her application to become the first Illinois lawyer was denied. In 1890, the Illinois Supreme Court granted her a license to practice law, nunc pro tunc to 1869.
Helped write the Illinois Married Women's Property Act of 1861 and the Earnings Act of 1869.

Biography: ThoughtCo., Library of Congress

Carol Moseley Braun

senator, lawyer

Select contributions:

In 1992, was the first Black woman senator.
Was the first woman to sit on the Senate Finance Committee.
Successfully convinced the Senate not to renew the design patent for the United Daughters of the Confederacy as it contained the Confederate flag, which had been routinely renewed for almost 100 years.
Sponsored the Full Faith and Credit for Child Support Orders Act enacted in 1994.

Biography: Congress, House History

Sophonisba Breckenridge

professor, activist, social scientist

Select contributions:

In 1892, was the first woman admitted to the Kentucky Bar.
In 1904, was the first woman to graduate from the University of Chicago with a J.D. degree.
In 1907, was the first woman to earn membership in the Order of the Coif.
Became a professor at the University of Chicago, essentially creating a social work course of study.
Involved in the creation of the social welfare policies in the New Deal.
Was the first woman chosen to represent the United States at an international conference.

Biography: U Chicago, Wikipedia

Margaret Brent

landowner, "attorney"

Select contributions:

Beginning in 1638, as an unmarried landowner and businesswoman in Maryland, acted as an attorney in arguing cases for herself, her brother and other women in the court of common pleas.
In 1648, appeared before the all-male Maryland legislature and asked for the right to vote, which was denied.
Acted as attorney for Lord Baltimore in settling debts in the protection of the colony.

Biography: Britannica, Wikipedia

Nancy Duff Campbell

attorney

Select contributions:

In 1981, co-founded the National Women's Law Center.
Between 1981 and 2017, served as co-president of the National Women's Law Center.
Served as counsel in numerous cases involving gender and economic equity including Haffer v. Temple University, which expanded women's sports programs and Parents Without Partners v. Massinga, establishing the right to child support for custodial parents regardless of income.
Advocated for legislation to further gender and economic equity.

Biography: Wikipedia, NWLC, VFA

Martha Hughes Cannon

state senator, activist

Select contributions:

In 1895, was the first woman to register to vote in Utah.
In 1896, elected to the Utah State Senate, becoming the first woman in the United States to serve as a state senator.
Testified in Congress regarding Utah's women's suffrage work.
Sponsored legislation to improve the working conditions for women and girls.
Helped establish Utah's first state board of health.

Biography: Utah Women's History

Shirley Chisholm

member of congress, activist

Select contributions:

In 1968, became the first Black woman in Congress.
Sponsored legislation to increase federal funding for childcare, for guaranteed minimum income, federal assistance for education and national school lunch.
In 1972, was the first Black woman and first woman to seek a major party's nomination for President when she sought the Democratic Party's nomination.

Biography: History, Women's History, U.S. House

Kathryn Clarenbach

professor, activist

Select contributions:

In 1962, developed continuing education programs for women at the University of Wisconsin.
Beginning in 1964, chaired the Wisconsin Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women, reviewing and changing laws unfair to women regarding pay equity, access to credit, divorce and marital property, and sexual assault.
In 1966, was one of the founders and the chair of the National Organization for Women.
Also founded the National Women's Political Caucus and the Wisconsin Women's Network.

Biography: Wikipedia, University of Wisconsin

Genevieve R. Cline

judge, lawyer

Select contributions:

Advocated for consumer protections and women's rights.
In 1922, was the first woman assigned to the post of appraiser of merchandise for the United States Department of Treasury at the Port of Cleveland.
In 1928, was the first woman appointed to a federal court when President Coolidge appointed her to the U.S. Customs Court.

Biography: U.S. Courts

Hillary Rodham Clinton

lawyer, senator, sec. of state, presidential candidate

Select Contributions:

In the 1970's, served as counsel at the Children's Defense Fund and the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families advocating for children.
In 1978, appointed by President Carter to the Legal Services Corporation board, ensuring equal access to justice, served as the first woman chair.
In the 1980's, as fist lady of Arkansas, and in the 1990's as First Lady of the United States, advocated for health care reform and helped create the Children's Health Insurance Program.
In 2000, was New York's first woman U.S. Senator.
In 2016, was the first woman to earn a major party's nomination for president.
From 2009-2013, U.S. Secretary of State.

Biography: White House.

Phoebe Couzins

lawyer, activist

Select Contributions:

In 1869, along with Lemme Barkeloo, were the two women law students in the United States.
In 1871, was the first woman to graduate from law school in the United States and the first woman to graduate from Washington University.
In 1887, became the first woman U. S. Marshal.

Biography: Wikipedia

Eliza "Lyda" Burton Conley

lawyer, activist

Select Contributions:

In 1902, was the first woman to be admitted to the Kansas Bar and believed to be the first Native American woman lawyer.
In 1906, began and led the successful fight to protect the Heron Indian Cemetery, which became a national historic landmark 100 years later.
In 1910, was the first Native American woman, and third woman, to argue before the U. S. Supreme Court.

Biography: Women's Museum, Amy's Smart Girls

Harriet Spiller Daggett

law professor

Select contributions:

In 1931, became the first woman to hold a full professorship in law.
In 1939, helped to create a new legal subject, Mineral Rights (Oil and Gas), authoring the definitive treatise on the subject.
Wrote the first authoritative book on community property law in Louisiana.
Was instrumental in the establishment of a family law court in East Baton Rouge, LA and other reforms in child welfare and family law.

Biography: Kay, Herma Hill, Paving the Way, 43-44 (1921), In Memoriam: Harriet Spiller Daggett, 27 La. L. Rev. (1966).

Crystal Eastman

lawyer, suffragist, activist, journalist

Select Contributions:

In 1910, drafted a report titled, Work Accidents and the Law, which served as the basis for the first worker's compensation law.
In 1913, co-founded the Congressional Union, which became the National Woman's Party.
In 1917, co-founded the National Civil Liberties Bureau (later renamed the American Civil Liberties Union) to protect the Bill of Rights.
In 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment she co-drafted was introduced in Congress.

Biography: ACLU, Wikipedia

Brenda Feigen

lawyer, activist

Select Contributions:

In 1970, helped coordinate Senate testimony for the Equal Rights Amendment and testified.
In 1971, co-founded The Women’s Action Alliance (“WAA”), providing resources for women and fighting to end sexism and sex discrimination.
In 1971, co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus.
In 1972, co-founded and co-directed the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project with Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Brought lawsuits for gender equity, including Ackerman v. Bd. of Ed. of N.Y.C. (1974), which sought paternity leave.

Biography: ACLU, Wikipedia, Feigen Law

Geraldine Ferraro

lawyer, member of congress, vp candidate

Select Contributions:

In 1979, was the first woman to represent the Queens, NY in Congress.
In 1981, sponsored the Economic Equity Act, which reformed pension options for women, protected the rights of widows and divorcees, among other things.
In 1984, first woman vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket.
Founded the Americans Concerned for Tomorrow PAC, focused on electing women in the 1986 Congressional elections.
In 1995, was Vice Chair of the U.S. Delegation to the Fourth World Conference on Women.

Biography: House, Wikipedia

Clara Shortridge Foltz

lawyer

Select Contributions:

In 1878, lobbied the California Governor to sign into law the Woman Lawyer's Bill, giving women the right to practice law in California. Thereafter, became the first woman lawyer in California.
In 1893, presented the concept of the public defender program and drafted the model statute, which was codified in California in 1921.

Biography: California Bar Journal

Sonia Pressman Fuentes

lawyer

Select Contributions:

In 1963, on behalf of the ACLU, testified in Congress in favor of the Equal Pay bill.
Co-founder of NOW.
In 1965, was the first woman attorney in the General Counsel's office of the EEOC.
Drafted the EEOC’s decision finding airlines violated Title VII when they terminated or grounded stewardesses based on their age and marital status.
Drafted the EEOC’s first Guidelines on Pregnancy and Childbirth.

Biography: Wikipedia, Stanford

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

associate justice, lawyer, activist

Select contributions:

Associate Justice, US Supreme Court
In 1963, led an equal pay campaign with her women Rutgers University colleagues, when she learned they were being paid less than their men counterparts.
In 1971, successfully argued Reed v. Reed, wherein the Supreme Court held for the first time that a law categorically providing for differential treatment of men and women violates the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.
In 1972, co-founded the Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Biography: ACLU, Rutgers

Lavinia Goodell

lawyer, author, activist

Select contributions:

In 1871, wrote a series of articles for the Woman's Journal advocating for women's suffrage.
In 1874, became the first woman lawyer in Wisconsin.
In 1876, wrote, “Woman in the Legal Profession,” countering the arguments against women as lawyers, which was read at the Fourth Congress of
Association for the Advancement of Women.
Drafted a law prohibiting courts from denying bar admission to women , which was passed in 1877 by an all-male legislature.
In 1879, opened Wisconsin’s first all-women law firm with Angie King.

Biography: Goodell, Wikipedia

Marcia Greenberger

attorney

Select contributions:

In 1981, co-founded the National Women's Law Center.
Between 1981 and 2017, served as co-president of the National Women's Law Center.
Served as counsel in numerous cases involving gender and economic equity including Haffer v. Temple University, which expanded women's sports programs and Parents Without Partners v. Massinga, establishing the right to child support for custodial parents regardless of income.
Advocated for legislation to further gender and economic equity.

Biography: Wikipedia, NWLC

Martha Wright Griffiths

member of congress

Select contributions:

In 1964, framed the Sex Discrimination amendment to Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
In 1970, filed the discharge petition bringing the Equal Rights Amendment to the House Floor for a vote and ultimate passage.

Biography: House of Representatives

Mary Hall

lawyer

Select contributions:

In 1882, the Connecticut Supreme Court issued a decision granting her the right to practice law in the state (In re Hall).
Practiced law for 40 years, specializing in wills and property rights cases for women.
In 1884, became Connecticut's first woman notary public.

Biography: CT History, CT Hall of Fame

Aileen Clarke Hernandez

lawyer, activist

Select contributions:

In 1962, appointed assistant chief of the California Division of Fair Employment Practices enforcing anti-discrimination laws.
In 1964, first woman appointed to the EEOC, resigning two years later in protest of the EEOC's refusal to take action on sex discrimination cases.
In 1966, co-founded the National Organization for Women, serving as its president from 1970-1971, helping to organize the Women's Strike for Equality.

Biography: History Makers, Black Past, Wikipedia

Sarah Tilghman Hughes

judge, lawyer, activist

Select contributions:

In 1954, successfully advocated for an amendment to the Texas Constitution to allow women to sit on juries.
In 1935, became Texas's first woman state judge.
In 1961, became Texas's first woman federal judge.
In 1963, swore in President, Lyndon Johnson, upon President Kennedy's assassination, becoming the first woman to swear in a U.S. President.

Biography: Women in Texas History

Alta Hulett

lawyer

Select Contributions:

In 1871, after having passed the bar exam but being denied admission to the Bar, successfully lobbied for the passage of legislation in Illinois prohibiting the exclusion of persons from any occupation, profession, or employment on the basis of sex.
In 1872, became Illinois' first woman lawyer.

Biography: Illinois State Bar Association

Barbara Jordan

lawyer, state legislator, member of congress

Select contributions:

In 1969, sponsored Texas's ratification of the ERA and successfully proposed an equal rights amendment to the Texas Constitution.
In 1971, in the Texas Senate, advocated to establish a minimum wage law, antidiscrimination
statements in business contracts, and a Fair Employment Practices Commission.
In 1972, was the first Black woman elected to Congress from the South.
In 1975, as a congresswoman, cosponsored legislation expanding the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to include Latinx, Native, and Asian Americans.

Biography: Women's History, TSHA

Herma Hill Kay

law professor, lawyer, activist

Select contributions:

Was instrumental in launching no-fault divorce in California.
In 1968, served as the Co-Reporter of the committee that drafted the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act, that was widely adopted in the U.S.
In 1992, became the first woman dean of UC Berkeley School of Law.

Biography: Berkeley, Wikipedia

Amalya Lyle Kearse

lawyer, judge

Select contributions:

In 1979, first first Black woman on a federal appellate court when she was appointed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
In 1979, was the first woman elected to a fellowship in the American College of Trial Lawyers

Biography: History, Wikipedia

Florence Kelley

lawyer, activist

Select contributions:

In 1893, became the first woman appointed to a
statewide office in Illinois, Chief Factory Inspector.
In 1899, became the first General Secretary of the National Consumers League (NCL), helping create shorter workdays and minimum wage laws.
In 1906, successfully advocated for the Pure Food and Drug Act, a consumer protection law.
In 1909, helped found the NAACP.
In 1921, successfully lobbied for the passage of the Sheppard-Towner Act, which provided
federal funds for maternity and childcare.

Biography: Wikipedia, Women's History

Maud McLure Kelly

lawyer, suffragist, historian

Select contributions:

In 1908, was the first woman lawyer admitted to practice in Alabama, after a classmate succeeded in having legislation passed changing the Code of Alabama to allow women to practice law.
Active on the legislative committees of the Birmingham and Alabama Equal Suffrage Associations.
Searched attics and basements of courthouses collecting, preserving, and donating lost, forgotten and decaying documents and papers including census records, land records, biographies of state officials, etc.

Biography: Samford University, Alabama Women's Hall of Fame, Wikipedia

Florynce Kennedy

lawyer, activist

Select Contributions:

In 1968, advisory sponsor to this Miss America Protest, demonstrating that the pageant exploited women.
In 1969, organized lawyers to challenge the constitutionality of New York’s antiabortion laws in a class action lawsuit, Abramowicz v. Lefkowitz, using women who suffered from illegal abortions as expert witnesses.
In 1971, founded the Feminist Party, which nominated Shirley Chisholm for President.
In 1973, formulated and participated in the protest to highlight the lack of women's bathrooms at Harvard University.

Biography: Radcliffe, Notable Bios, Wikipedia

Dorothy Kenyon

lawyer

Select Contributions:

In 1936, as chair of a committee studying procedure in women's courts, advocated for better treatment of sex workers and stronger prosecution of the clients and pimps.
From 1938-1943, served as the U.S. representative to the League of Nations Committee for the Study of the Status of Women.
From 1946-1950, served as the U.S. representative to the United Nations Committee for the Study of the Status of Women.
In 1966, as co-counsel in White v. Crook, successfully argued that women have an equal right to serve on juries.

Biography: Wikipedia

Ada Kepley

lawyer, activist, suffragist

Select Contributions:

In 1870, became the first American woman to graduate from law school
Denied the right to practice law due to her gender.
Advocated for social reform including women's suffrage and temperance.

Biography: Legal Pioneers

Carolyn Burnham Kilgore

lawyer, activist, doctor, teacher

Select contributions:

In 1865, was the first woman to receive a medical degree in New York, but was only able to practice as a physician's assistant.
In 1872, 1873, 1874, her applications to sit for the Pennsylvania Bar exam were rejected.
In 1881, was the first woman admitted to study at Penn Law.
In 1883, became the first woman to hold both a medical and a law degree.
in 1886, became the first woman licensed to practice by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
In 1871, tried to vote but her ballot was rejected. She appealed her ballot rejection to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and lost.

Biography: Alexander Street, Philadelphia citizen

Jewel+Stradford+Lofontant_edited_edited_edited.jpg

Jewel Lafontant-Mankarious

lawyer, activist

Select contributions:

In 1946, was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Chicago Law School.
In 1963, argued Beatrice Lynumn v. The State of Illinois before the United States Supreme Court, which set the precedent for the 1966 landmark decision Miranda v. Arizona.
In the Nixon Administration, served as the first woman Deputy Solicitor General, as well as vice chairman of the U.S. Advisory Commission on International, Educational and Cultural Affairs representative to the U.N. General Assembly.
Between 1989-1993, served in President Bush's State Department as Ambassador-At-Large and Coordinator for Refugee Affairs.

Biography: New York Times, BlackPast

Mary Florence Lathrop

lawyer, journalist, activist

Select contributions:

Was the first woman to try a case before the Colorado Supreme Court.
In 1902, successfully argued Clayton v. Hallett, before the Colorado Supreme Court, which established Colorado's law of charitable bequests.
Practiced probate law, ultimately helping to re-draft Colorado's probate statutes.
In 1918, was one of the first two women to be admitted to the American Bar Association.

Biography: Colorado's Hall of Fame, The Legacy of Mary Lathrop

Belva Lockwood

lawyer

Select contributions:

In 1873, completed law studies at George Washington University Law School, but denied a diploma until President Grant intervened.
In 1876, after denied admission to the Supreme Court Bar due to gender, drafted legislation, passed by Congress allowing qualified women to practice in federal court.
In 1880, as the first woman member of the Supreme Court Bar, became the first woman to argue in front of the Supreme Court.
In 1884 (and 1888), first woman to be on the official ballot for POTUS, on the ticket of the National Equal Rights Party.

Biography: SCOTUS, National Archives

Arabella Mansfield

lawyer, suffragist

Select contributions:

In 1869, sat for the Iowa State bar exam, even though it was restricted to "males over 21".
In 1869, became the first woman admitted to the licensed bar in the United States when she was admitted in Iowa, after the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that women could not be denied the right to practice law in Iowa.
Advocated for equal education opportunities and voting rights for women.

Biography: IDHR, Iowa Judicial Branch

Burnita Shelton Matthews

judge, suffragist, lawyer

Select contributions:

In 1921, began serving as counsel for the Suffragist National Women's Party.
In 1949, became the first woman to serve on a United States District Court.

Biography: Britannica

Enolia Pettigen McMillan

educator, activist

Select contributions:

In 1933, in her master's thesis, Some Factors Affecting Secondary Education for Negroes in Maryland Counties (Excluding Baltimore) attacked the racist dual school system including salary scales and curricula.
In 1975, first woman chair of the Board of Regents at Morgan State University.
In 1984, first woman to be the national president of the NAACP.
Advocated for equal pay for Black teachers, the majority of which were women.

Biography: Wikipedia, Morgan State University

Soia Mentschikoff

lawyer, law professor

Select contributions:

In 1942, as a law student, was named as the assistant to the chief reporter in drafting the Uniform Commercial Code. In 1949, was named the associate chief reporter in drafting the Uniform Commercial Code.
In 1944, became the one of the first women partners at a major wall street firm.
In 1947, became the first woman to teach at Harvard, and in 1951, became the first woman to teach at the University of Chicago.
In 1974, became the first woman president of the AALS, while dean of the University of Miami School of Law.

Biography: Wikipedia, Univ. of Miami

Inez Milholland

lawyer, activist, suffragist

Select contributions:

In 1909, participated in the shirtwaist and laundry worker strikes advocating for higher wages, shorter hours, and safer working conditions.
In 1913, helped organize and led the Women's Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C.
In 1915, joined the Ford Peace Ship in an effort to stop WWI through negotiation.
In 1916, toured the United States to gain support for a Constitutional amendment to grant women the right to vote.

Biography: Vassar, New York Times

Patsy Mink

lawyer, member of congress

Select contributions:

In 1964, was the first Asian-American woman and first woman of color to serve in Congress.
In 1972, was the first Asian American to run for President.
Advocated for issues related to childcare and education including the Early Childhood Education Act and the Comprehensive Child Development Act.
Advocated for gender equality in education as a drafter and/or sponsor of legislation including Title IX, and the Gender Equity in Education Act.

Biography: Biography, House History

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, NYWT&S Collection [LC-DIG-ds-00561]

Constance Baker Motley

judge, lawyer, activist

Select contributions:

In 1950, she wrote the original complaint in Brown v. Board of Education.
In 1962, successfully argued Meredith v. Fair, granting Mr. Meredith the right to be the first Black student to attend the University of Mississippi.
In 1964, was the first Black woman in the New York State Senate.
In 1966, became the first Black woman appointed and confirmed to the federal judiciary, when she was confirmed as a U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York.

Biography: Wikipedia, U.S. Courts

Pauli Murray

lawyer, activist, poet

Select contributions:

In 1944, formulated the challenge to the "separate" part of "separate but equal," which was successfully used by Thurgood Marshall in 1954 in arguing Brown v. Board of Education.
Wrote the definitive book on segregation, "States' Laws on Race and Color."
Coined the term "Jane Crow" to explain the segregation of the sexes.
In 1966, one of the founding members of the National Organization for Women ("NOW").
In 1966, as co-counsel in White v. Crook, successfully argued that women have an equal right to serve on juries.

Biography: Pauli Murray Center, The New Yorker

Ellen Spencer Mussey

lawyer, activist, educator

Select contributions:

In 1896, the Mussey Act was passed in Washington D.C., providing property and guardianship protections for married women.
In 1898, after being denied admission to law school, opened the first law school for women, the Washington College of Law with Emma Gillett, the first law school founded by women.
In 1898, was the the first female law dean in America and served in this role until 1913.
In 1917, founded the D.C. Woman’s Bar Association.
Co-drafted the Cable Act of 1922 allowing married women to retain their U.S. citizenship.

Biography: Wikipedia, WCL, Britannica, WBADC

Eleanor Holmes Norton

lawyer, activist, delegate to congress

Select contributions:

In 1967, successfully defended a white supremacist group's freedom of speech in Carroll v. Town of Princess Anne.
In 1970, successfully represented 60 women in their EEOC complaint of sex discrimination, resulting in their employer, Newsweek, agreeing to allow women to be reporters.
In 1970, appointed as head of the New York City Human Rights Commission where she held the country's first hearings on gender discrimination.
In 1977, was the first woman to chair the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In 1990, elected as a delegate to the House of Representatives for the District of Columbia.

Biography: Wikipedia, ACLU, AP News

Sandra Day O'Connor

associate justice, lawyer, state senator

Select contributions:

In 1973, she was the first woman to serve as a state's Majority Leader, when she became the Majority Leader in the Arizona State Senate.
In 1981, became the first woman nominated and first woman confirmed as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Biography: Wikipedia

Frances Perkins

cabinet member, activist

Select contributions:

In 1933, as Secretary of Labor for President Roosevelt, became the first woman to serve in a Presidential cabinet.
Was instrumental in crafting the New Deal, which included a 40 hour work week, minimum wage, unemployment compensation, and an end to child labor.

Biography: Frances Perkins Center, AFL-CIO

Louise Raggio

lawyer

Select contributions:

In 1967, as Chair of the Texas Family Law Section of the Texas Bar, crafted the Texas Marital Property Act of 1967, giving women the same rights as their husbands upon marriage.
In the 1970s, became the first woman trustee of the Bar Foundation.
In 1979, became the first woman elected to be a member of the board of directors of the Texas State Bar.
Advocated for better conditions for women at the Texas State Capitol.

Biography: ABA, TSHA

Jeannette Rankin

member of congress, activist, suffragist

Select contributions:

Actively worked to amend the constitutions of Washington and Montana to give women the right to vote, both of which were amended in 1911 and 1914, respectively.
In 1916, was elected to serve in Congress, becoming the first woman elected to U.S. national office.
In 1918, presented the 19th Amendment to the House for a vote.

Biography: Biography, House of Representatives

Marguerite Rawalt

lawyer, activist

Select contributions:

In 1943, first woman elected as the President of the Federal Bar Association.
In 1961, served on President Kennedy's Commission on the Status of Women and then appointed by President Johnson to the Citizen's Advisory Council on the Status of Women.
In 1966, co-founded the National Organization of Women, serving as Chair of its Legal Committee from 1966-1969 and founding the Legal Defense Fund.
Created the Marguerite Rawalt Legal Defense Fund, focusing on women's equity cases.

Biography: Fed Bar, TSHA, Wikipedia

Charlotte E. Ray

lawyer

Select contributions:

First Black woman lawyer, having graduated from Howard University School of Law in 1872.
First woman admitted to the District of Columbia Bar.
In 1885, secured a rare reversal of a denied divorce decree based on domestic violence, as the first woman to argue before the District of Columbia Supreme Court.

Biography: History, Wikipedia

Janet Reno

attorney general, lawyer

Select contributions:

In 1978, became the first woman state attorney in Florida as the State Attorney for Dade County.
In Miami, created victims' advocacy program to support victims throughout their trials.
In 1993, became the first woman Attorney General of the United States.
In 1996, advocated for rights for and funding to support victims of violent crimes.
In 1998, advocated for including crimes related to gender, disability and sexual orientation as hate crimes.

Biography: Washington Post, CNN, Britannica

Gertrude Durden Rush

attorney

Select contributions:

In 1910, passed the enumerator's exam and became an enumerator for the Census Bureau.
In 1912, led the Charity League, which created the Protection Home for Negro Girls
In 1918, first Black woman admitted to the Iowa Bar.
In 1921, first woman elected president of a co-ed bar association, the Iowa Colored Bar Association.
In 1925, co-founded the National Bar Association after admission to the American Bar Association was denied to her and other Black lawyers.
Focused her legal practice on women's rights in estate cases.

Biography: UIPress, Census Bureau, Wikipedia

Patricia Scott Schroeder

lawyer, member of congress

Select contributions:

In 1973, was the first woman elected to Congress from Colorado and the first to serve on the House Armed Services Committee.
In 1977, was a founding member of the Congressional Women's Caucus.
Crafted and/or advocated for the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act, 1985 Military Family Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act (1993).
Advocated for reform in the military regarding sexual harassment and successfully advocated the Armed Services Committee's recommendation that women be able to fly combat missions.

Biography: Wikipedia, House History

Margaret Chase Smith

member of congress, senator

Select contributions:

First woman to serve in both houses of congress.
In 1948, responsible for the passage of the Women's Armed Forces Integration Act, giving women in the armed forced regular status and eligibility for benefits.
On June 1, 1950, was the first senator to speak out against McCarthy, giving an impassioned speech on the floor against his tactics.
In January 1964, first woman to be a candidate for a major party nomination for president. Barry Goldwater won the nomination.

Biography: House History

Winifred Stanley

lawyer, member of congress

Select contributions:

In 1937, successfully advocated for women's right to serve on jury panel in New York.
In 1938, became the first woman assistant district attorney in Erie County, New York.
In 1944, proposed the first equal pay act, a bill to amend the NLRA to make it unlawful “to discriminate against any employee, in the rate of compensation paid, on account of sex.”

Biography: House History, Wikipedia

Sarah Weddington

lawyer

Select contributions:

In 1971 and 1972, was the youngest person to argue in front of the Supreme Court and win when she argued Roe v. Wade.
Advocating for reforms to Texas rape law including expanding the statute of limitations
on reporting rape from two to three years and barring the questioning of a rape victim regarding her sexual history.
In 1978-1981, as the Asst. to the President in the Off. of the Asst. for Women’s Affairs was the key strategist for ratification of the ERA and the Senate's extension of the ratification deadline.

Biography: NY Times, Weddington, Practice Panther

Mabel Willebrandt

lawyer

Select contributions:

First woman public defender in Los Angeles County, defending only women and mostly on prostitution charges.
In 1921, appointed assistant attorney general, second woman to hold the post, making her the highest ranking woman in the U.S. government.
In 1927, successfully argued before the Supreme Court that taxes should be paid on illegal income, opening the door to IRS tax evasion cases against mob bosses.
Responsible for federal prison reforms, including the first woman's facility, industrial programs for prison inmates, and a first-time offender facility.

Biography: WAMS, Wikipedia

Victoria Claflin Woodhull

activist, politician

Select contributions:

In 1870, became the first woman stockbroker, with her sister, and the first to own a brokerage firm.
In 1870, published a newspaper promoting women's suffrage and political reform, the Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly.
In 1871, became the first woman to address a congressional committee, arguing for women's suffrage.
In 1872, became the first woman to run for President, although too young to do so, after being nominated by the Equal Rights Party.

Biography: NPS, History, Wikipedia

We are still building out our Legal HerStory Viewing Lounge.
Do you know a woman 65 or older who should be in the next update?
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legal herstory pioneers

We are still building out our Legal HerStory Viewing Lounge. Do you know a woman 65 or older who should be in the next update? Have a source to add? See a bug? Let us know!

We are still building out our Legal HerStory Viewing Lounge.
Do you know a woman 65 or older who should be in the next update?
Have a source to add? See a bug?
Let us know!