The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-10-20

Who ever Sat on the bench with the Lord
Chief Justice OF England. Miss King 10 the
only woman patent attorney. Mrs. Mussey
10 tho only woman dean Of a law college.
The ffrst woman to practise law in this
country was Margaret Brent. Lord Balti-
more. h Governor Of Maryland. asked
the Legislature that she bs appointed
executor OF her relatives estate One Of
the learned members said that IL was better
hat the estate be lost than a woman appear
to make an argument before them. Mar
garot Brent. however. won her case.
And yet a few years after the civil war,
when Mrs. Carrie B. Kilgore applied for
admission TO the law department Of the
University OF Pennsylvania. she was told
BY the then dean that when niggers and
women are admitted to the Ilaw school,
he would resign. Mrs. Kilgore herself
related this incident to the writer.
1t 10 largely through the efforts Of these
tw~enty-eight women that married women
throughout the country have the guardian
ship OF their children equally with the father
and enjoy the right to money earned by
them; n women in general have been
admitted to law colleges. to membership in
school boards and to suffrage in many
States through the hard work Of these
twenty-eight representative lawyers.
Belva Lockwood, the first woman to be
admitted to practice before the United
States Supreme Court. In the dean Of Ameri-
can women lawyers. In two election cam
paigns she has been nominated by the Equal
Rights party for tho ~Presidenoy of the
United States.
She 10 in her seventy-ssventh year, but
hsr mind 10 a. alert % ever. In fact she
10 now winding up the greatest work Of
her life. In completing what 10 probably
the most important Law case ever won
BY . woman. the securing Of q o. 00. 900
judgment against the United States Gov
eminent for 5000 Cherokee Indians.
She wa graduated in the National Uni
vsrsity Law School. Washin gton. in May,
1S73. after matrtoulation had been refused
to her In Columbia College. now George
Warrington University. on account Of
bar sex. She was admitted to the bar Of
the Supreme Court Of the District OF Column.
bia September %. 1873. and at onoe entered
into active practice.
Two years later she applied for admission
TO the United States Court OF Claims. and
after repeated ~postponements her applica-
ton was refused; first. because she was a
woman and. secondly. because she was a
married woman. Dine year later she was
proposed for admission to the United States
Supreme Court. and her application was
refused as follows:
This application is denied until there
b Q be q more extended public opinion in
its favor or some special legislation
The following year Benjamin F. Butler
et her request introduced a bill in the
House Of Representatives for the admis-
sion OF women to the United States Su-
preme Court. That bill was lost in the
House. In 1877 William Lawrence Of Ohio
introduced a bill for her relief. which was
lost in committee.
At the second session Of this Congress
Mrs. Lockwood prepared a bill which now
stands On the statute books Of the United
States. providing that ANY woman Of
good moral character and otherwise duly
qualified shall on presentation be admitted