List of first female lawyers in the United States

This is a listing of the first female attorneys in the United States and for each individual state. If available, there is also the year in which the women were admitted to practice law and an inclusion of the first attorneys who were women of color for each state.

Nationwide

• Margaret Brent (1638) (First woman to act as an attorney in court)
• Arabella Mansfield (1869) (First woman admitted to a state bar in the United States)
• Charlotte E. Ray (1872) (First African-American female attorney in the United States)
• Lyda Conley (1902) (First Native American female attorney in the United States)
• Elizabeth K. Ohi (1937)^[1] (First Japanese-American female attorney in the United States)
• Claudia L. Gordon (c. 2000)^[2] (First deaf African-American female attorney in the United States)
• Arsima A. Muller (2005)^[3] (First Marshallese female to be admitted to practice law in the United States)

Individual states

• Alabama: Maud McLure Kelly (1908) (Alabama's first female lawyer);^[4] Mahala Ashley Dickerson (1948) (First African-American female attorney in Alabama)
• Alaska: Mildred Hermann (1934) (Alaska's first female lawyer);^[5] Mahala Ashley Dickerson (1959) (First African-American female attorney in Alaska)
• Arizona: Sarah Herring Sorin (1892) (Arizona's first female lawyer); Mary Estella Cota-Robles (1940) (First Hispanic woman admitted to Arizona Bar); Lisa Loo (2016)^[6] (First Asian-American woman admitted to Arizona Bar)
• Arkansas: Sarah Shields (1918) (Arkansas' first female lawyer);^[7] Leona P. Thurman (1949)^[8] (First African-American woman to practice law in Kansas City)
• California:^[9] Clara Shortridge Foltz (1878) (California's first female lawyer); Annie Coker (1929) (California's first African-American female attorney); Chiyoko Sakamoto (California's first Japanese-American female attorney); Emma Ping Lum (c. 1946) (The U.S. and California's first Chinese-American female attorney); Mary Virginia Orozco (1962) (California's first Latina female attorney); Eleanor Nisperos (1972) (California's first Filipina-American female attorney); Abby Abinanti (1974) (California's first Native American female attorney)
• Colorado: Mary Sternberg Thomas (Colorado's first female lawyer); Josephine M. Luthe (1891);^[10] Betty Ann Camunez^[11] (First Hispanic woman admitted to the Colorado Bar)
• Connecticut: Mary Hall (1882) (Connecticut's first female lawyer); Bessye Anita Warren Bennett (1974)^[12] (First African-American woman admitted to the Connecticut Bar)
• Delaware: Evangilyn Barsky and Sybil Ward (1923) (Delaware's first female lawyers);^[13] Paulette Sullivan Moore (1977)^[14] (Delaware's first African-American female lawyer)
• District of Columbia: Charlotte E. Ray (1872) (Also the first African-American woman to practice law in D.C. and the United States)
• Florida: Louise R. Pinnell (1898) (Florida's first female lawyer);^[15] Gwen Cherry (1965) (First African-American woman to practice law in Dade County, Florida)
• Georgia: Betty Reynolds Cobb and Mary C. Johnson (1916) (Georgia's first female lawyers);^[16] Rachel E. Pruden-Herndon (1942) (First African-American admitted to the Georgia Bar)
• Hawaii: Alameda Eliza Hitchcock (1888) (Hawaii's first female lawyer);^[17] Sau Ung Loo Chan (1942)^[18] (First woman of Asian descent to practice law in Hawaii); Patsy Mink (1953)^[19] (First Japanese-American woman to practice law in Hawaii)
• Idaho: Helen Young (1895) (Idaho's first female lawyer);^[20] Rei Kihara Osaki (1943) (First Japanese-American woman admitted to Idaho Bar); Ida Leggett (1986)^[21] (First African-American woman to practice law in Idaho)
• Illinois: Alta M. Hulett (1873) (Illinois' first female lawyer); Myra Bradwell (She aimed to be the first woman admitted to the Illinois State Bar, but was denied); Ida Platt^[22] (First African-American admitted to practice law in Illinois)
• Indiana: Elizabeth Eaglesfield (1875) (Indiana's first female lawyer);^[23] Helen Elsie Austin (1930)^[24] (First African-American woman admitted to the Indiana Bar)
• Iowa: Arabella Mansfield (1869) (Iowa's first female lawyer); Gertrude Rush (1918)^[25] (First African-American female lawyer in Iowa)
• Kansas: Jennie Mitchell Kellogg^[26] (Kansas' first female lawyer); Lutie Lytle (1897)^[27] (First African-American woman lawyer in Kansas)
• Kentucky: Sophonisba Breckinridge (1895) (Kentucky's first female lawyer); Sally J. Seals White^[28] (She may have been the first African-American female lawyer in Kentucky)
• Louisiana: Betty Runnells (1898)^[29] (Louisiana's first female lawyer); Mary Gloria Lawson (1956)^[30] (First African-American woman admitted to the Louisiana Bar)
• Maine: Clara H. Nash (1872)^[31] (Maine's first female lawyer)
• Maryland: Etta Haynie Madox^[32] (Maryland's first female lawyer); Jane Cleo Marshall Lucas^[33] (First known African-American woman admitted to practice law in Maryland)
• Massachusetts: Leila Josephine Robinson (1882) (Massachusett's first female lawyer)
• Michigan: Sarah Kilgore Wertman (1871) (Michigan's first female lawyer); Grace G. Costavas (Murphy) (1921)^[34] (First African-American female lawyer in Michigan)
• Minnesota: Martha Angle Dorsett (1878) (Minnesota's first female lawyer); Lena O. Smith (1921)^[35] (First African-American woman to practice law in Minnesota); Ilean Her^[36] (First Hmong woman attorney to pass her Minnesota Bar exam)
• Mississippi: Susie Blue Buchanan (1918)^[37] (Mississippi's first female lawyer); Marian Wright Edelman (First African-American admitted to Mississippi Bar)
• Missouri: Lemma Barkaloo (1870) (Missouri's first female lawyer); Dorothy L. Freeman (1942)^[38] (First African-American female lawyer in St. Louis and Missouri)
• Montana: Ella Knowles Haskell (1888) (Montana's first female lawyer); Mary Frances Garrigus (c. 1918)^[39] (First Native American woman admitted to practice law in Montana)
• Nebraska: Ada Bittenbender (1882) (Nebraska's first female lawyer); Zanzye H.A. Hill^[40] (First African-American woman admitted to Nebraska Bar)
• Nevada: Laura May Tilden Wilson (1893)^[41] (Nevada's first female lawyer); Felice Cohn (1902)^[42] (First Jewish woman to practice law in Nevada); Johnnie B. Rawlinson and Viveca Monet Woods (1980)^[43] (First African-American women admitted to practice law in Nevada)
• New Hampshire: Marilla Ricker (1890) (New Hampshire's first female lawyer)
• New Jersey: Mary Philbrook (1895) (New Jersey's first female lawyer)
• New Mexico: Katherine Burns Mabry (New Mexico's first female lawyer); Carol Jean Vigil (First Pueblo woman admitted to practice law in New Mexico); Betty Ann Camunez^[44] (First Hispanic woman admitted to the New Mexico Bar)
• New York: Kate Stoneman (1886) (New York's first female lawyer); Irma Vidal Santaella^[45] (First Puerto Rican woman admitted to practice law in New York)
• North Carolina: Tabitha Ann Holton (1878)^[46] (North Carolina's first female lawyer); Elreta Melton Alexander-Ralston^[47] (First African-American woman lawyer and judge in North Carolina)
• North Dakota: Helen Hamilton (c. 1925)^[48] (North Dakota's first female lawyer)
• Ohio: Nettie Cronise Lutes (1873) (Ohio's first female lawyer); Daisy D. Perkins (1919)^[49] (First African-American woman admitted to the Ohio Bar); Hazel M. Walker^[50] (First African-American woman lawyer in Ohio)
• Oklahoma: Laura Lykins (1898)^[51] (Oklahoma's first female lawyer)
• Oregon: Mary Leonard (1885) (Oregon's first female lawyer); Mercedes Deiz (1960) (First African-American woman lawyer in Oregon)
• Pennsylvania: Caroline Burnham Kilgore (1883) (Pennsylvania's first female lawyer); Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (1927) (First African-American female lawyer in Pennsylvania); Mari Carmen Aponte^[52] (First Latina lawyer of Puerto Rican descent in Pennsylvania)
• Rhode Island: Ada Lewis Sawyer (1920) (Rhode Island's first female lawyer)
• South Carolina: James Perry (1918)^[53] (South Carolina's first female lawyer); Cassandra E. Maxwell (1938)^[54] (First African-American woman lawyer in South Carolina)
• South Dakota: Blanche Coleman (1911)^[55] (South Dakota's first female lawyer)
• Tennessee: Marian Griffin (1907)^[56] (Tennessee's first female lawyer); Lutie Lytle (1897)^[57] (First African-American woman lawyer in Tennessee)
• Texas: Hortense Sparks Ward (1910) (Texas' first female lawyer); Charlye O. Farris (1953) (First African-American female lawyer in Texas); Edna Cisneros (1955) (First Hispanic woman to be licensed to practice in Texas)^[58]
• Utah: Phoebe Couzins (1872) (Utah's first female lawyer); Eunice Chen (1973) (First Asian-American female admitted to the Utah Bar); Mary Ellen Sloan (1975) (First Native American female admitted to the Utah Bar); Denise M. Mercherson (1979) (First African-American female admitted to the Utah Bar); Frances M. Palacios (1980) (First Hispanic female admitted to the Utah Bar)^[59]
• Vermont: Jessie Bigwood (1902)^[60] (Vermont's first female lawyer)
• Virginia: Belva Ann Lockwood (1892) (Virginia's first female lawyer); Lavina Marian Fleming-Poe (1924)^[61] (First African-American woman lawyer in Virginia)
• Washington: Mary Leonard (1885) (Washington's first female lawyer); Dolores Sibonga (1973)^[62] (First Filipina-American female to practice law in Washington)
• West Virginia: Agnes Westbrook Morrison (1895)^[63] (West Virginia's first female lawyer)
• Wisconsin: Lavinia Goodell (1874) (Wisconsin's first female lawyer); Mabel Watson Raimey^[64] (First African-American female lawyer in Milwaukee and Wisconsin)
• Wyoming: Grace Raymond Hebard (1898) (Wyoming's first female lawyer)

See also

• List of first female lawyers by country
• List of first minority male lawyers in the United States
• Women in law

References

1. ↑ Watson, Jonathan. "Legacy of American Female Attorneys (2016 rev.)" (PDF). Solano County Law Library. Retrieved October 6, 2016. 
2. ↑ Jones, Erika (2016-04-06). "The deaf women in Obama's White House". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-10-18. 
3. ↑ "Maryknoll School". www.maryknollschool.org. Retrieved 2016-10-20. 
4. ↑ "Alabama State Bar Inducts New Members to Lawyers' Hall of Fame — Alabama State Bar". Alabama State Bar. 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2016-10-06. 
5. ↑ "First Women Lawyers in the United States - Women's Legal History" (PDF). Retrieved October 6, 2016. 
6. ↑ Arizona, State Bar of. "Diversity". State Bar of Arizona. Retrieved 2016-10-07. 
7. ↑ Ross, Frances Mitchell (1998). "Reforming the Bar: Women and the Arkansas Legal Profession". University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review. Retrieved October 6, 2016. 
8. ↑ "Leona P. Thurman, K.C's first Black woman lawyer | African American Registry". www.aaregistry.org. Retrieved 2016-10-07. 
9. ↑ Watson, Jonathan. "Legacy of American Female Attorneys (2016 rev.)" (PDF). Solano County Law Library. Retrieved October 6, 2016. 
10. ↑ Epstein, Vivian (1997-11-01). History of Colorado's Women for Young People. Vivian Sheldon Epstein. ISBN 9781891424007. 
11. ↑ "A Celebration of New Mexico's First Women Lawyers" (PDF). Presented by the New Mexico Women's Bar Association in Cooperation with the State Bar of New Mexico. Retrieved October 11, 2016. 
12. ↑ Normen, Elizabeth J. (2014-01-27). African American Connecticut Explored. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 9780819574008. 
13. ↑ Paradee, Jacqueline P. (Fall 1993). "Delaware's First Women Lawyers: The Flow of Acceptibility" (PDF). Delaware Lawyer, 11:3. Retrieved October 6, 2016. 
14. ↑ "Black Women in Delaware's History". www1.udel.edu. Retrieved 2016-10-08. 
15. ↑ "Celebrating Florida's first 150 women lawyers". www.floridabar.org. Retrieved 2016-10-06. 
16. ↑ Carle, Susan D. (2005-08-22). Lawyers' Ethics and the Pursuit of Social Justice: A Critical Reader. NYU Press. ISBN 9780814716397. 
17. ↑ "Hawaii Women Lawyers: Non-profit organization serving its members and the community". www.hawaiiwomenlawyers.org. Retrieved 2016-10-06. 
18. ↑ Matsuda, Mari J. (1992-01-01). Called from Within: Early Women Lawyers of Hawaiʻi. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 9780824814489. 
19. ↑ Congress, U. S. (2016-10-07). Congressional Record, V. 148, PT. 13, September 20, 2002 to October 1, 2002. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780160767746. 
20. ↑ "The First 50 Women in Idaho Law: HELEN LOUISE NICHOLS YOUNG-October 26, 1895 (1862 – 1951)" (PDF). Idaho State Bar. Retrieved October 6, 2016. 
21. ↑ "Milestones for Women in Idaho Law". Idaho State Bar. Retrieved October 6, 2016. 
22. ↑ "History | Cook County Bar Association". cookcountybar.org. Retrieved 2016-10-07. 
23. ↑ "Indiana Female "Firsts" In the Legal Profession". Judicial Branch of Indiana. Retrieved October 6, 2016. 
24. ↑ Cayton, Andrew R. L.; Sisson, Richard; Zacher, Chris (2006-11-08). The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253003490. 
25. ↑ "Gertrude Rush, first Black female lawyer in Iowa | African American Registry". www.aaregistry.org. Retrieved 2016-10-07. 
26. ↑ The Journal of the Kansas Bar Association. Bar Association of the State of Kansas. 2001-01-01. 
27. ↑ Smith, John Clay (2000-01-01). Rebels in Law: Voices in History of Black Women Lawyers. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0472086464. 
28. ↑ "Alumni Information -- Louisville Municipal College -- University of Louisville". louisville.edu. Retrieved 2016-10-07. 
29. ↑ Norgren, Jill (2016-05-01). Rebels at the Bar: The Fascinating, Forgotten Stories of America’s First Women Lawyers. NYU Press. ISBN 9781479835522. 
30. ↑ Ph.D, Rachel L. Emanuel, Ph D. , Ruby Jean Simms, Ph D. , Charles Vincent (2015-06-01). Scotlandville. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781467113144. 
31. ↑ "women | Maine: An Encyclopedia". maineanencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2016-10-06. 
32. ↑ "President's Message: Who is Etta Maddox? - Maryland State Bar Association". www.msba.org. Retrieved 2016-10-06. 
33. ↑ Banks, Taunya Lovell (2004). "SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT: MARYLAND'S FIRST BLACK WOMEN LAW GRADUATES". Maryland Law Review, 63(4). Retrieved October 6, 2016. 
34. ↑ Jr, J. Clay Smith (1999-01-01). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812216857. 
35. ↑ "Lena O. Smith, a first in Minnesota | African American Registry". www.aaregistry.org. Retrieved 2016-10-07. 
36. ↑ "Hmong Women in Minnesota Timeline". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2016-10-12. 
37. ↑ Wilkerson, Lyn (2010-11-08). Slow Travels-Mississippi. Lyn Wilkerson. ISBN 9781452332291. 
38. ↑ "Breaking the Barriers". www.lb8.uscourts.gov. Retrieved 2016-10-07. 
39. ↑ "Mary Frances Garrigus '18". Montana's Early Women Lawyers: Trail-blazing, Big Sky Sisters-in-Law. 2015-08-06. Retrieved 2016-10-08. 
40. ↑ Jr, J. Clay Smith (1999-01-01). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812216857. 
41. ↑ "Laura May Tilden Wilson". www.unr.edu. Retrieved 2016-10-06. 
42. ↑ "Felice Cohn | Jewish Women's Archive". jwa.org. Retrieved 2016-10-12. 
43. ↑ Anderson, Rachel J. (February 1, 2012). "Timeline of African-American Legal History in Nevada (1861-2011)". University of Nevada, Las Vegas -- William S. Boyd School of Law Scholarly Commons @ UNLV Law. Retrieved October 6, 2016. 
44. ↑ "A Celebration of New Mexico's First Women Lawyers" (PDF). Presented by the New Mexico Women's Bar Association in Cooperation with the State Bar of New Mexico. Retrieved October 11, 2016. 
45. ↑ Heinemann, Sue (1996-01-01). Timelines of American Women's History. Penguin. ISBN 9780399519864. 
46. ↑ http://mangowebdesign.com, Website design and web development by Mango Web Design. "Tabitha Ann Holton - North Carolina History Project". North Carolina History Project. Retrieved 2016-10-06. 
47. ↑ Johnson, Todd; Barbour, Durwood (1997-10-01). Johnston County. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738568812. 
48. ↑ "20th Annual Helen Hamilton Day". www.ndcourts.gov. Retrieved 2016-10-06. 
49. ↑ Cayton, Andrew R. L.; Sisson, Richard; Zacher, Chris (2006-11-08). The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253003490. 
50. ↑ Ritz, David (2003-01-01). Faith in Time: The Life of Jimmy Scott. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306812290. 
51. ↑ Weatherford, Doris (2012-01-20). Women in American Politics: History and Milestones. SAGE Publications. ISBN 9781608710072. 
52. ↑ "Aponte, Mari Carmen". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2016-10-12. 
53. ↑ "SCWLA - Timeline". www.scwla.org. Retrieved 2016-10-06. 
54. ↑ Jr, J. Clay Smith (1999-01-01). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812216857. 
55. ↑ "Picture Gallery | Harriet Rochlin & Western Jewish History". rochlin-roots-west.com. Retrieved 2016-10-06. 
56. ↑ "Through a Woman's Voice". candacecorrigan.com. Retrieved 2016-10-06. 
57. ↑ Smith, John Clay (2000-01-01). Rebels in Law: Voices in History of Black Women Lawyers. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0472086464. 
58. ↑ "Women and the Law". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved October 6, 2016. 
59. ↑ "Utah Minority Bar Association First 50 Event - Utah State Bar". Utah State Bar. 2005-08-06. Retrieved 2016-10-20. 
60. ↑ Duffy, John J.; Hand, Samuel B.; Orth, Ralph H. (2003-01-01). The Vermont Encyclopedia. UPNE. ISBN 9781584650867. 
61. ↑ Jr, J. Clay Smith (1999-01-01). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812216857. 
62. ↑ Parker, Monica R. (2010-01-01). What it Takes: How Women of Color Can Thrive Within the Practice of Law. American Bar Association. ISBN 9781590319925. 
63. ↑ "History | College of Law | West Virginia University". www.law.wvu.edu. Retrieved 2016-10-06. 
64. ↑ Badger History Bulletin. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Office of School Services. 1995-01-01.