The Irish standard., 1895-10-26

las a lawye rs comb ned Id an emil nent de,
i gree the qualities that dist nguish able
s|Sbafristers and jurists. Her mind wa
i quick, clear, logical and profound lel
legal knowledge and legal acumen re-
i markable She belonged to the Strong
family. which has furnished q great deal
of the legal talent Of the United States. 81
& Ada H Kepley, OF Eff1ngham, Ill. was
the first woman to graduate from q law
/ school in this or any other country. She
took her degree in June. 1870, from the
Union College Of Law, Chicago.
I ssAlmeda E. Hitchcock Of Hilo, Hawai-
islands, graduated from the law depart.
ment Of the University Of Michigan in
1858 and was admitted to the Michigan
bar. Her father was one of the circuit
Judges Of that PARKWAY island On hel
return home she was admitted to the
! Hawaiian bar on presentation Of hel
llicense from the Michigan court, the first
| instance of woman receiving admis-
sion to the bar of that kingdom. On the
/ same day she was appointed notary pub
| lie and became her fathers law, part
| ner. .3 ss@;lE WI
| Col. c. K. Pier. his wife and three
daughters, of Milwaukee, Wis, are wide.
| ly known as "the Pier family of law
yers. = Col. Pier Is a lawyer Of long
standing. A number Of years ago Mrs
Pier found herself charged with the care
of large estate which was scattered and
which involved widely ranging interests
She soon found herself SO involved in
business affairs that it was cheaper to
become lawyer than 70 hire one. Act
| ing under counsel she began to study
law. She was an apt pupil and about
| 1;r he Ia VIZ #
ment of the State University at Madison.
Wis. She was accompanied by her eldest
daughter, Kate H. Pier, and the two
graduated together. In 1888 they came
to Milwaukee to engage in their chosen
profession. They rented house and
office the same day and were ready to re-
ceive clients before guests. A law was
passed by the legislature which authoriz-
ed the act, and in May of 1891 Mrs. Pier
! was made court commissioners and grant
ed the honor Of being the first woman tc
sit as magistrate in the world SO far as
the records show, barring Portia. ~ @
Miss Kate Pier is the trial or jury law
yer of the firm. When in her 21st year
she appeared before the supreme. court
and won her case, the first to be argued
by a woman in the supreme tribunal OF
the state Caroline H. and Harriet HI.
Pier graduated from the law department
of the university in July, 1891. "Your
honor" as the mother is usually address
ed by the family, attends exclusively to
probate and real estate matters. She
says: "We all went into the study of
the law with exactly the same precepts
and practices as govern young men and
in search of useful and independent vo-
cation There is nothing in the profess
SIGN of law which need deter any woman
from following it. All that any woman
needs to fit herself for any honorable oc-
cupation not requiring brute force in
stead of common sense is grit and perse-
verence. Doll houses are we'll enough
for children, but L do not notice that SEN
sible men are building them for grown
women to any great extent in this prac-
tical age"
Women as lawyers have had recogni-
ton of their ability and standing in var
ious directions Mary E. Haddock, LII.
B., in Jnne,, 1873, was appointed by the
supreme court of Iowa to examine stud
ents in the State University for gradua-
ton and admission to the bar. She held
this position for. three years. Ada Lee
of Port Huron, Mich, the year following
her admission in 1888 was elected to the
ing been nominated by the Republican,
Democratic and Greenback parties Of the
county Of St. Clair. She performed the
duties of the office and held it until the
expiration of the term, despite the fact
that 13 suits were begun to GUST her, dur
ing which time 217 cases We're tried be-
fore her. Mrs. J. M. Kellogg acted as as
sistant attorney general during the time
her husband was attorney general OF
Kansas They were law partners.
Phoebe Couzins, the redoubtable, was
chief deputy United States marshal for
the eastern district of Missouri. At the
death of her father she was made his
successor and held this position until re-
moved by the change Of administration.
Women lawyers have delivered able
addresses and lectures before students;
they have contributed articles OF value
to the various law journals OF the coun-
try; they have published books on legal
subjects which have received praise from
high legal authority; there are several
engaged in the publication Of law
journals.
Among the most prominent women
lawyers of Chicago is Mrs. Mary Ahrens
She possesses unquestioned legal learn
ing and ability, eloquence, and distin-
guished manner. She has achieved a
fine success in her profession and is just
ly considered a shining light. Aside
from her professional life and it's exact
ions Mrs. Ahrens is largely interested in
philan thropic work. She is notable &C
tive IN all that relates to the good of
women. and more than one noble beneti-
cence owes its existence to her efforts.
Mrs. Catherine Waugh McCulloch is
an able and successful Chicago lawyer.
She is active in reform measures, IS an
ardent and prominent woman suffragist,
and the cause that has her for its advo-
cate has power on its side. Mrs. Me-
Culloch is young woman and fair to look
upon.
Mrs. Bessie Helmer, daughter Of Judge
Bradwell and the late Mrya BradWell, is
one of the most prominent lawyers of the
city. She was the first woman admitted
to practice in. the supreme court, and her
hard won victory was not for herself
alone but for her sisters everywhere. She
is a graduate of both the law and liter
ary departments Of the Northwestern
University. Mrs. Helmer is nobly
equipped for her chosen work.
Miss Ellen Martin is a successful law
yer: she is contributor Of excellent arti-
cles to the law Journals and Is frequent
counsel for the Women's Club when mat!
tiers requiring legal lore are under Dis
cussicn. ia 81 .saz,
Miss Blanche Fearing is graduate OF
the Chicago Law School and surely ind