Vol. 71, No. 8,
August 1998
President's Perspective
Pioneers in the Law: The First 150 Women
By Susan R. Steingass
On Oct. 28, 1998, at the Monona Terrace and Convention Center in Madison,
the State Bar of Wisconsin will sponsor an evening celebration as part of
Wisconsin's 150th birthday - Pioneers in the Law: The First 150 Women.
The
first woman lawyer was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar in 1879 and the 150th
was admitted in 1943, a 60-year span in Wisconsin history. Many of these
pioneering women are still living; some are still practicing law. Wisconsin
is alive with people who knew and practiced law with them. Their stories
should make all of us, as lawyers, proud of our tradition and proud of our
place in Wisconsin history.
The professional lives of these remarkable women, who lived in times
far less commodious than ours, could only have flourished with the support
and encouragement of their friends, families, and colleagues. They all remind
us of where we have been and where we need to go. The stories of just a
few of these lives speak eloquently.
The first woman lawyer, Rhoda Lavinia Goodell, was admitted to the Wisconsin
bar in 1879. She was born in New York, moved to Janesville in 1871, and
began to study law at the age of 32. She was admitted to the Rock County
bar in 1874. At that time, admission to any circuit court bar permitted
her to practice in any court except the Wisconsin Supreme Court. However,
when she applied for admission to practice in the supreme court in 1876,
her petition was denied. Chief Justice Edward G. Ryan described her efforts
to practice law as "a departure from the order of nature" and
"treason against it." The court denied her petition for her own
good, since "Nature has tempered woman as little for the juridical
conflict of the court room, as for the physical conflicts of the battle
field."
Ms. Goodell had her victory in 1877 when the Wisconsin Legislature, at
the urging of her male colleagues at the bar, passed a bill prohibiting
denial of admission to the bar on the basis of sex. Ms. Goodell again applied
for admission to practice before the supreme court. In 1879 her petition
was granted - with Chief Justice Ryan dissenting.
Kate Pier McIntosh and her daughter Kate, came together to the U.W. Law
School in 1887 - Mrs. Pier attending with Kate because Madison was no
place for a young woman alone. The two were followed soon after by the younger
Kate's sisters, Caroline and Harriet. The first two Piers were admitted
to practice in 1887; the second two in 1891. They practiced together in
Fond du Lac and Milwaukee. The four women of the Pier family made up almost
a third of the female graduates of the U.W. Law School before 1919.
Mabel Watson Raimey, admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1927, is the first
African American woman known to have graduated from a Wisconsin law school.
She earlier received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of
Wisconsin in 1918, where she is thought to have been its first African American
woman graduate. She described her grandfather Sully Watson as "the
only son of Molly" who was "the daughter of an African chief from
New Guinea." Her family obtained their freedom and came to Milwaukee
in 1851. They were among the first African Americans to settle in Wisconsin.
In 1911 the American Bar Association barred blacks from membership, a
ban not removed until 1943. It is easy to imagine that when Ms. Raimey was
admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1927, there were few enough opportunities
for a female lawyer, let alone an African American female lawyer. Thus,
she worked as a legal secretary before, during and after graduating from
law school, but soon began practicing law in the office of the attorney
who hired her. She was dedicated to the advancement of African Americans
and served on the Board of the Milwaukee Urban League for 25 years. She
only stopped practicing in 1972 after she suffered a stroke. She died in
1986.
There are 147 other stories to tell and they will be told! Some of them
will be told by the women themselves as they will be our honored guests,
along with their families and friends, at the celebration on Oct. 28. All
their stories will be told in a booklet to be released on Oct. 28. Research
for this work is being done by volunteers from around the state. Literally
hundreds of people - lawyers, friends, colleagues, State Bar staff,
history buffs, students, and faculty from the U.W. and Marquette Law Schools,
historical societies, and local bar associations - have volunteered
to do the research and write the biographies.
We want to take this celebration past Oct. 28. No human lives in a vacuum
and we want to chronicle not only these lives, but their place in the history
of the legal profession and this state. For this reason, we are producing
a historical videotape that will debut on Oct. 28. After its premiere, it
will be reproduced and distributed free of charge to schools around the
state so that our young people can know of the contributions of these extraordinary
lawyers, their families, friends, and colleagues.
Please join us in this celebration. Attend and encourage others to attend.
Volunteer to help organize and celebrate. Help sponsor the booklet or the
video. Please see the sponsorship form at page 6 of this issue. Or, for
more information on how you and your organization can be involved, please
contact me or Kaye O'Kearny at the State Bar at (800) 444-9404. Kaye's extension
is 6193 and mine is 6182. I also can be reached by
email. or (608) 255-6663. And, visit our Web site.
See you on Oct. 28!
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