State Bar of Wisconsin

Dorothy Walker
1922
(1899-1983)

Dorothy Walker had a distinguished litigation career that spanned 61 years. In 1922 she received her law degree from the U.W. Law School and began working for the Portage law firm of Grady, Farnsworth, and Walker.

She may best be remembered as Wisconsin's first female district attorney, winning an election in Columbia County in 1924 at age 23. This feat brought her national recognition, as the New York Times also reported her as the nation's first female district attorney. Dorothy served one four-year term in office, and in that time prosecuted more than 300 cases, with only two acquittals and one jury disagreement.

Upon serving her term, Dorothy returned to private practice with the Grady firm, where she stayed until opening her own firm in 1938.

Dorothy became an accomplished litigator. She earned an outstanding reputation in the legal community for her knowledge of the law and the degree to which she prepared cases on behalf of her clients. During the middle of her career, she was known for her personal injury litigation practice.

A member of the State Bar of Wisconsin since her graduation, Dorothy served on the Special Committee on Women Lawyers where she assisted with plans for the 50th Anniversary Convention held in June 1928. She also assisted a committee of 100 women in planning Wisconsin's Centennial Celebration. On a political front, she actively supported Republican candidates.

In 1974 Dorothy was honored as the first female to receive the Distinguished Alumni Faculty Award from the U.W. Law School Alumni Association.

Dorothy Walker passed away on Aug. 1, 1983, while standing at her secretary's desk in her law office at Portage. She was 84 years old, still practicing law as a solo practitioner.

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