Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-26
MRS. FOLTz SWORN IN
BY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
First of Her Sex to Be So Hon.
ored-Her Career Re-
markabIe

Los Angeles has a woman deputy
district attorney, and her name is Clara
Shortridge Foltz. The honor of being
the first of her sex in California to be
numbered among public prosecutors
was conferred on Mrs. Foltz yesterday
morning when she appeared in the su-
pervisors' room accompanied by Dis
trict Attorney John d. Fredericks, and
took the oath of office.
Well may the brigands CT the Gala
basas hills retreat within their lairs,
for Mrs. Foltz. besides being a lawyer
of recognized acumen, is an orator or
no mean ability and once convinced a
iurv of twelve males that a woman had
a perfect right to go through her hus-
bands pockets and confiscate the
bank roll.
Consider the really great women of
history. From the doughty Elizabeth
of England whose navies secured the
seas in all quarters of the globe. whose
firm hand maintained her kingdom in
tact against the attempted inroads or
the war lords of Europe, back to the
amorous Cleopatra, who played jokes
on her Roman lovers while she ruled
with a strong hand her millions of
Fgyptian serfs, there hardly appears
a woman recognized as great whose
crowning glory was not a shock or
auburn hair.
walks clara Shortridge Foltz, attorney,
apostle forensic Of woman's rights, idol
of the club women of Los Angeles,
member of the bar Of California and of
New York, the first woman lawyer In
the United States to receive such rec
ognition of ability.
Is DISTINGUISHED WOMAN
But Mrs. Foltz is distinguished far
more by her warm-hearted and genial
personality, her dee-lighted smile and
her enthusiastic ambition to remove
the determinations practiced against
her sex than she is by the hair into
which she sticks her hatpins. 1t was
merely mentioned because, finding 1t
inpossible to choose which of her
MANY estimable qualities to present
first. 1t was convenient to begin at
the top.
Thrown on her own resources by the
death of her husband, with two small
daughters to support, Mrs. Foltz COM
menced the study of law, undeterred
bv the fact that women were not al
lowed to practice before the California
courts. and by her own efforts induced
the legislature to amend the conSti-
tuition of the state. Later she was sue
cessful, through the courts, in forcing
the Hastings College of Law in San
Francisco to accept woman students,
Later she was admitted to practice in
the courts of New York and has been
the subject of innumerable stories in
newspapers in all parts of the United
States in connection with the revision
of laws pertaining to the rights or
women.
"It has been the one great ambition
of NV life" said Mr.. Foltz yesterday,
"to make the arrival of justice more
certain for more persons who come un-
der the displeasure of the powers that
be through fortuitous circumstances,
and my one hobby has been the estab-
lishment of public defenders, to assist
the states attorneys in securing JUS
tice for supposed criminals.
"While many persons regard the dis
trict attorneys office as an institution
bound to furnish a culprit for every
crime committed in their jurisdiction,
I feel that no conscientious and able
attorney who carefully investigated
the cases which he prosecutes could be
a party to the prosecution of an inno-
cent person, and 1 regard the position
which has been conferred upon me as
a high honor indeed"
Mrs. Foltz, who is a member of the
state board of charities and correc-
tions. will be a delegate to the national
conference of charities and corrections
to be held in st. Louis on May Is, 10
and 20. and probably will not appear
in court In her official capacity before
her return on May %. AS her duties
in her new position will involve only
cases concerning women and children,
Mrs. Foltz will retain her present Of
flee and will continue her civil practice.