Evening star., 1926-06-13
MRS. R|LEYISDEAN
AT LAW COLLEGE
Takes Charge When Summer
Course Opens Tuesday
in New Home.

With new dean and a new home,
the Washington College Of Law will
open it's doors for the special Summer
course to begin Tuesday and end
July 81. The sessions will be from
Sis to 7 o'clock on the evenings of
day and Friday, each week. and will
he held in the new building at 1000
G street northwest. The school head
quarters were moved to the new build
ing from the former site at 1915 X
street, last Thursday
The new dean of the college is
Mrs. j. Garfield Riley Grace Hays
Riley, who also is head of the
Women's City Club in Washington.
She is the fifth dean since the school s
organization in 1896, and a distinctive
thing about the deans of this school
Is that they have all been women. The
school when organized 80 years ago
by Mrs. Ellen Spencer Mussey and
Miss Emma NJ. Gillett was founded
with the desire to establish law classes
for women, as well as men. Until that
time no women could study law in a
school in Washington. Mrs. Mussey.
the first dean, held that office for II
years, and is now honorary dean OF
the school, Miss Gillett second in that
office, and now dean emeritus, was
actively dean for IL years. Elizabeth
Harris, well known here as an attor-
ney at law, held the deanship of the
school for one season, but resigned
because she felt the school took too
much time from her other professional
activities. Miss Giliett again acted
in the capacity of dean until a year
q nd half Mpg Ha1spV
then identified with the Woman's
Bureau in Washington, accepted the
office. Mrs. Halsey has just rendered
her resignation, due to i'll health, and
she is planning a rest for some time,
and may accept an offer to do. some
special work in the Orient next
Winter.
Mrs. Riley. the new dean, now in
charge of the school, came to Wash
ington originally from Monmouth,
Ill. She was graduated from the
Washington College of Law in 1908,
and admitted to the District of Colum
bia bar that Summer. She served as
claims examiner in the Pension Office
for several years and was administra
tive examiner with the War Labor
Board. She later acted as examiner
and head of the legal work in the
Child Labor Tax Division, Bureau OF
Internal Revenue, and, still later
headed that division. During the eX
istence of the Rent Commission of the
District of Columbia, she was assistant
attorney for that commission.
Mrs. Riley is the wife of Major J
Garfield Riley, who served in the SAM
tary Corps of the Medical Department
during the war. She is a member of
the Women'S Bar Association of the
District. She was elected by the board
of trustees to the position of dean of
the Washington College of Law June
l. to take effect June 10. Mrs. Riley
was graduated from the school in the
same class as Judge Mary O'Toole.
The president of the college is
Edwin &. Dutton, who was the first
man graduated from the Washington
College of Law. The first president
of the college was Chief Justice Ed
ward F. Bingham of the Supreme
Court of the District of Columbia, who
accepted that position as head Of the
school upon it's being Incorporated in
1898 and held office until his death.
He was succeeded by Chief Justice
Stanton j. Peelle of the Court of
Claims, who held the presidency of
the board until his Sod birthday; when
he resigned from various activities.