Evening star., 1932-10-09
HISTORY STACKING
WOMAN LAWYERS
Number of Feminine Jurists
Will Attend Meeting of
American Bar.
BY GRETCHEN SMITH.

woman judges and lawyers who Will
attend the convention ct the American
Bar Association this week is in strong
contrast to the dearth Of feminine
names among the lawgivers and law
makers of history.
On the shelves of the Congressional
Library are books containing the names
of thousands of women who have
gained achievement in the realm OF
arts, science or politics, but none on
woman lawyers. In a book entitled
Famous Women" hundreds of histories
are given of those who have distin-
guished themselves as rulers, reformers,
philanthropists. educators, scientists,
physicians, explorers, authors, poets,
artists, musicians, composers and ac-
tresses since 900 BIC. until the present
time. Not the name of a single "Por-
tia" is found among them. Whether
ShakeSpeareS famous heroine OF The
Merchant of Venice" was factual or
fictitious will never be known. There
is no record of such person having
really existed.
In Washington alone the Womens
Bar Association records more than 250.
The mailing list of the National Asso-
citation of Women Lawyers contains the
sex who have achieved success before
the bar and on the bench.
Judicial Profession Last.
The judicial profession is one of the
last to open its doors to women. The
prejudice which has been so strong
against women entering behind those
doors has existed for SO long and until
such recent times that feminine pio-
neers of the profession are still active
and vigorous, enjoying the telling of
battles fought before the first rung of
the legal ladder was attained.
Less than a half century ago. when
Miss Emma Gillette. co-founder with
DR. Ella Spencer Mussey of the Wash
ington College of Law for Women
wished to study law, she found that the
gates of every law college in the Dis
trict were closed against women. ex-
Cept Howard University. She took the
law course at Howard, and after receiv-
ing her degree practiced law in the Dis
trict until she later founded the school
of law where women might study for
the legal profession.
One of the most famous pioneers
among the woman lawyers of this coun-
try was Belva Lockwood, who in order
to enter a university to study law was
obliged to disguise herself as a man.
When her identity was discovered sew
eral months after her entrance, they
attempted to force her expulsion. Belva
threatened with a law suit and she was
permitted to graduate. She was ad-
mitted to the bar of the District of
Columbia in 1873 and later was ad-
mitted as the first woman to practice
before the Supreme Court. Her prac-
ticing before the District and the Fed
eral bars. however, did not prevent her
being "debarred' from practicing in
Virginia, where as late as 1894 she was
refused admission to the bar of the
Old Dominion. 1t was Belva Lock
woods difficulties experienced in climb
ing the ladder of legal success which
caused her to champion equal rights
for women. 1t was she who succeeded
in obtaining the passage of the bill
which gives equal pay for equal work
to woman Federal workers. Miss Lock
wood Is the only woman ever named
as candidate for President of the United
States. In 1888 she was nominated for
the office by the Equal Rights party.
Argued Own Case.
Until so years ago, throughout over
1000 years of history, scarcely a wom-
ans name appears under the who's
who OF the law. Perhaps. one of the
most famous instances in ancient his
tory of woman publicly participating
in the law was that of Amaesia. a
woman OF Sentium. She was accused
of scme violation of law and pleaded
her own cause before a great concourse
of people She managed the transac-
ton with such accurate knowledge of
the proper forms and procedure that
she was acquitted unanimously. Such
an extraordinary thing had never been
witnessed before and she was looked
upon as a sort of super-woman.
One woman defed this tradition
somewhere around the beginning OF
the nineteenth century. The old Ouch
ess of Marlborough, Sarah Jennings.
famous as the greatest termagant III
Europe, argued her own case when she
was sued by her grandson before a
tribunal in London. The duchess had
been left a great fortune by her hus-
band, the hero of the Battle of Blen-
helm. who had apparently expected
her to look generously after the grand
son. The grandson, however. got tired
of her violent temper and her guard
ianShip and started suit for his right
full inheritance. The duchess won the
case, even retaining the sword which
the duke had specifically left to his
grandson. Her plea as to the sword
was Il retained it lest he should pick
out the diamonds and pawn them"
Margaret Brent First in U. S.
The first record of any woman en-
gaging in legal matters in this country
is that of Margaret Brent, who settled
in St. Marys County, Md, in 1888. She
was given power of attorney by her
brother, and her name appears in the
records of judicial and testamentary
business of the Maryland Provincial
Court no less than 124 times and that
she was named as sole executrix OF the
estate of Leonard Calvert at the time
Of his death.
AS far as can be ascertained, Myra
BradWell was the first woman admitted
to practice law in any of the States.
She was admitted to the Illinois bar
in 1869 at a time when other States
would never have considered such a
thing.
The passage by Congress OF the
diploma mill bill which has protected
thousands of innocent men and women
from the malpractices of frauds and
fake professional people, was aided by
a woman. Washington's Pearl Mccall,
who, as United States district attorney.
worked on the case for over five years.
According to Miss Mccall one of the
most beneficial laws effected in recent
years has been the Jury bill' provid-
ing equal service on juries for men
and women. Mrs. Rebekah Greathouse,
assistant United States attorney, agrees
with Miss Mccall that the service Of
woman jurors has been far-reaching in
its benefits.