The U.S. Census Bureau has always been ahead of the curve when it 

comes to employing women. Ever since 1880, when it started using 

professional enumerators rather than U.S. marshals, the Census Office 

has employed women in that role. With the advent of the Hollerith 

tabulating machine in 1890, women moved into the role of 

keypunchers. By 1909, 10 years before the 19th amendment granted 

national women's suffrage, over 50 percent of the Census Bureau’s 

624 permanent employees were women. As women proved 

themselves as capable as the men, and with the increasing number of 

women in the workforce, it became harder for the Census Bureau to 

justify assigning all supervisory positions to men. By 1920, the Census 

Bureau would once again push forward appointing the first five female 

supervisors, as well as the first three female expert chiefs of divisions.

Born on April 11, 1866, Julie Regula Jenney was the oldest child of 

Colonel Edwin S. Jenney and Marie S. Jenney. Edwin served courageously in the Civil War and 

worked as a lawyer in Syracuse, NY. Marie was a society matron and, at the age of 69,marched in 

the first suffrage parade in New York City. Julie decided to study law. After a rejection from Cornell

Law School, she became the first woman to graduate from 

Michigan Law School in 1892. Julie worked as a clerk for a few 

years in her father’s office and took over after his passing in 

1900. In 1920,she started her own law office and provided legal 

aid for many of Syracuse’s less affluent citizens.Julie became the 

first female Deputy Attorney General of New York in 1923. During 

that same year, she won two cases that saved the state over 

$55,000.

In August 1919, Julie R. Jenney received an appointment as one 

of the first five female enumerator supervisorsfor 5

th District, 

Syracuse, NY. She began testing 500 prospective enumerators in 

early November, from which she selected 150. Following 

enumerator selection, Julie trained them all the way through the 

end of December, while also conducting meetings at various 

localities to ensure proper 

coverage of her district. As 

the census got under way on January 1, 1920, the winter

weather in Syracuse immediately took its toll. Despite initial 

optimism based on her early success, Julie still had to request 

an extension of a few days after a large blizzard disrupted the 

last week of counting the 11,932 residents.

The Woman Citizen (New York, NY) 

15 Nov 1919

Julie R. Jenney

Lawyer, Leader, Census Supervisor

Jenney Family 1880 Census

The Ithaca Journal (Ithaca, NY); 20 Dec 1923
In addition to being a successful lawyer and census 

supervisor, Julie was also a suffragist and social leader. In 

1893, Julie was involved in the Political Equality Club. By

1895,she had joined the New York State Suffrage 

Association (NYSSA). Through the NYSSA, an offshoot of the 

National American Woman Suffrage Association, Julie

became very influential in the national scene. As early as 

1896, she shared the stage and voted alongside Susan B. 

Anthony, and she continued to be active in the NYSSA well 

into the 20th century. Julie also was involved with the 

Syracuse Legal Relief Society, the Syracuse Council of 

Women’s Clubs, the Syracuse War Monument Association, 

and the Professional Women’s League of Syracuse. She

acted as mentor to some of New York’s notable women such 

as Bessie Seeley, the first woman to graduate from Syracuse 

Law School in 1903, and Bernice Nash,the first woman 

nominated for a county position in the state of New York.

In September 

1945, the Onondaga Bar Association celebrated lawyers 

who had served for over 50 years, among whom Julie was 

the only woman. Two years later on December 21, 1947, 

Julie passed away at the age of 81 in her hometown of 

Syracuse, NY. Although Julie did not have any children 

during her amazing life, she left a legacy through her 

groundbreaking actions. Throughout her 

accomplishments as first female law graduate, first 

female deputy attorney general, and first female census 

supervisor, Julie continuously gave back to her 

community and set an example for women in the state of 

New York and beyond.

Julie was not the only notable woman in her family. Marie, her sister, 

became even better known in her day. She graduated from the 

Unitarian Theological Seminary in Meadville, PA in 1897. After her 

1904 marriage to Frederic Howe, she used the name Dr. Marie Jenney 

Howe. Marie was active in the suffragist movement like her mother 

and sister. She wrote several books and articles, became heavily 

involved in the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and 

founded the salon-like Heterodoxy Group that attracted the leading 

suffragists of the day. Marie passed away in 1934. Census records 

highlight Marie’s transformation. On the first census after her marriage 

in 1910, Marie listed “None” as her occupation despite the fact that 

she was a writer and ordained theologian. However, by Marie’s last 

census in 1930, she listed two occupations: writer and Unitarian 

minister. 

Photo courtesy of Census Bureau Archives

The Atchison Daily (Atchison, KS); 4 Mar 1914

Jenney Family 1940 Census

HB-17-0003