who was the first african american female lawyer

by Wilburn Schmidt 5 min read

Ray (1850-1911)

  • Alma Mater & Legal Credentials: Howard University, specializing in corporate law. ...
  • Most Notable Achievements: She was the first African American female lawyer, the first female admitted to the District of Columbia Bar, and the first female to practice before the Supreme ...
  • Inspirational Legal Contributions: Her admission to the D.C. ...

Charlotte E. Ray

Full Answer

When was the first black female lawyer?

It's still not clear how she managed to achieve it, but on 2 March 1872, Charlotte E. Ray got accepted into the bar in the district of Columbia — making her the first female African-American attorney.Mar 31, 2021

Who was the first African American lawyer?

Macon Bolling AllenEarly Life. In 1816, Macon Bolling Allen (also known as A. Macon Bolling) the first African American to practice law in the United States was born in Indiana. Before becoming a lawyer, Allen was a schoolteacher.Feb 25, 2021

Who is the most famous black lawyer?

5 Great African-American Lawyers in HistoryThurgood Marshall. Thurgood Marshall is the 96th Supreme Court Justice of the United States, and the first African-American to hold the title. ... Clarence Thomas. Upon the retirement of Thurgood Marshall, George H. W. ... Constance Motley. ... George Washington Williams.

Who was Charlotte E Ray's mother?

Charlotte Augusta Burroughs RayRay was the first black woman lawyer in the United States and the first woman to practice law in Washington, D.C. Ray was born in New York City to her mother Charlotte Augusta Burroughs Ray and her father, a prominent abolitionist, Charles Bennett Ray, who worked as a pastor of the Bethesda Congregational Church and as ...Nov 16, 2010

Who was the first African American woman to serve as mayor of a major urban city?

Lelia FoleyOther namesLelia Foley-DavisOccupationFormer Mayor of Taft, OklahomaKnown forFirst African American woman mayorPolitical partyDemocratic1 more row

Who were the first lawyers?

Ancient Greece, Rome and Byzantine Empire. The earliest people who could be described as "lawyers" were probably the orators of ancient Athens (see History of Athens). However, Athenian orators faced serious structural obstacles.

Who is the richest black lawyer in America?

Willie E. Gary Net WorthNet Worth:$200 MillionDate of Birth:Jul 12, 1947 (74 years old)Gender:MaleProfession:LawyerNationality:United States of America

Who was the first African American to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court?

Samuel R. LowerySamuel R. Lowery was the first black lawyer to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court. He was born on December 8, 1830 or 1832 in Davidson Country, Tennessee to his black slave father Peter Lowery and free Cherokee mother Ruth Mitchell.Oct 9, 2018

Who was the first African American to be appointed to the Supreme Court?

Thurgood MarshallJohnson nominated distinguished civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall to be the first African American justice to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Marshall had already made his mark in American law, having won 29 of the 32 cases he argued before the Supreme Court, most notably the landmark case Brown v.

When did the first woman go to law school?

18701870 Ada Kepley, the first woman to earn a formal law degree in the U.S., graduates with an LL. B. from Union College of Law in Chicago, now known as Northwestern University. 1870 Esther McQuigg Morris becomes the first woman judge in the country when she is appointed justice of the peace in a mining town in Wyoming.

What kind of lawyer was Charlotte Ray?

Upon graduating in 1872, Ray opened a law practice, specializing in commercial law. However, Ray was unable to maintain her practice due to race and gender discrimination. She returned to New York in 1879 where she worked as a teacher in Brooklyn.Feb 28, 2020

What is an attorney called?

A lawyer (also called attorney, counsel, or counselor) is a licensed professional who advises and represents others in legal matters. Today's lawyer can be young or old, male or female.Sep 10, 2019

Who is Femi Lewis?

Femi Lewis is a writer and educator who specializes in African American history topics , including enslavement, activism, and the Harlem Renaissance. As a leading civil rights, political, and legal advocate for African-Americans and women, Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander is considered to be a fighter for social justice.

Who was Alexander Tanner's aunt?

Her aunt, Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson was the first African-American woman to receive a license to practice medicine in Alabama. And her uncle was internationally acclaimed artist Henry Ossawa Tanner .

What did the Alexanders do for civil rights?

The Alexanders were active participants in the Civil Rights Movement and practiced civil rights law as well. While her husband served on the city council, Alexander was appointed to President Harry Truman's Committee of Human Rights in 1947. In this position, Alexander helped to develop the concept of a national civil rights policy when she co-authored the report, "To Secure These Rights." In the report, Alexander argues that Americans—regardless of gender or race—should be granted the opportunity to improve themselves and in doing so, strengthen the United States.

Who was the first female attorney?

After graduating from Columbia, Motley became the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s (LDF) first female attorney. Motley went on to become Associate Counsel to the LDF, making her a lead attorney in many significant civil rights cases. In 1950, Motley wrote the original complaint in the case of Brown v.

Who was the first black woman to be admitted to the bar?

Charlotte Ray graduated from the Howard University School of Law on February 27, 1872, and was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar on March 2, 1872, making her the first black female attorney in the United States. She was also admitted as the first black female to practice in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia on April 23, 1872.

Where was Barbara Jordan born?

Barbara Jordan was born in Houston, Texas on February 21, 1936. Due to segregation, Jordan could not attend The University of Texas at Austin, and instead chose Texas Southern University, a historically-black institution. After majoring in political science, Jordan attended Boston University School of law in 1956 and graduated in 1959.

Who was Jane Bolin?

She was the daughter of Gaius C. Bolin, a lawyer and the first black person to graduate from Williams College. At 16, she enrolled at Wellesley College where she was one of only two black freshmen. Bolin graduated in the top 20 of her class in 1928.

Where was Kamala Harris born?

Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, CA on October 20, 1964. By the time she attended kindergarten, Harris was being bused to school as part of a desegregation program. Throughout her childhood, children in her neighborhood were permitted from playing with her and her sister because they were Black.

Who was the first black woman to be a judge?

On July 22, 1939, Mayor of New York City, Fiorello La Guardia, appointed Bolin as a judge of the Domestic Relations Court, making Bolin the first black woman to serve as a judge in the United States. Bolin proceeded to be the only black female judge in the country for twenty years. Bolin remained a judge of the court for 40 years ...

Who was Constance Baker Motley?

Baker was inspired to attend law school after hearing a speech by Yale Law School graduate George Crawford, a civil rights attorney for the New Haven Branch of the NAACP.

Who was the first black judge?

Thurgood Marshall was the first black Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. George Lewis Ruffin was both the first black man to earn a degree from Harvard Law School and become Massachusetts first African American judge. List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States.

Who was the first woman to graduate from Howard University?

While teaching at Howard, she registered in the Law Department, as C. E. Ray. Charlotte Ray graduated on February 27, 1872, completing a three-year program, as the first woman to graduate from the Howard University School of Law. Sources claim she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, but Howard University did not receive its Phi Beta Kappa chapter until 1953.

Who was Charlotte Ray?

Charlotte Augusta Burroughs and Reverend Charles Bennett Ray. Charlotte E. Ray (January 13, 1850 – January 4, 1911) was an American lawyer. She was the first black American female lawyer in the United States. Ray graduated from Howard University School of Law in 1872.

Who was the first African American woman to serve as a federal judge?

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Who was Constance Baker Motley?

Constance Baker Motley was an unlikely civil rights hero. An African American who grew up near Yale University, she did not personally experience overt racism until late in high school, and as a young person she was almost totally unaware of black history. A 1998 portrait of U.S. District Judge Constance Baker Motley.

Who was the first person to meet Martin Luther King?

Constance Baker Motley first met Martin Luther King, Jr., in July 1962, after successfully arguing that protesters had the right to demonstrate in Albany, Georgia. Lawyer William Kuntsler is at right. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, NYWT&S Collection, LC-USZ62-138785.

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Alexander's Family Legacy

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Alexander came from a family with a rich legacy. Her maternal grandfather, Benjamin Tucker Tanner was appointed the bishop of the African Method Episcopal Church. Her aunt, Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson was the first African-American woman to receive a license to practice medicine in Alabama. And her uncle was i…
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Early Life and Education

  • Born in Philadelphia in 1898, as Sarah Tanner Mossell, she would be called Sadie throughout her life. Throughout her childhood, Alexander would live between Philadelphia and Washington D.C. with her mother and older siblings. In 1915, she graduated from the M Street School and attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Education. Alexander graduated with a bachelor's degre…
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The First Female African-American Lawyer

  • Soon after marrying Raymond Alexander, she enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania's Law School where she became a very active student, working as a contributing writer and associate editor on the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. In 1927, Alexander graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law and later became the first African-American woman t…
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Truman's Committee of Human Rights

  • The Alexanders were active participants in the Civil Rights Movementand practiced civil rights law as well. While her husband served on the city council, Alexander was appointed to President Harry Truman's Committee of Human Rights in 1947. In this position, Alexander helped to develop the concept of a national civil rights policy when she co-authored the report, "To Secure These Right…
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Overview

Charlotte E. Ray (January 13, 1850 – January 4, 1911) was an American lawyer. She was the first black American female lawyer in the United States. Ray graduated from Howard University School of Law in 1872. She was also the first female admitted to the District of Columbia Bar, and the first woman admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. Her admission …

Early life

Charlotte Ray was born in New York City to Charlotte Augusta Burroughs and Reverend Charles Bennett Ray. Reverend Ray was an important figure in the abolitionist movement and edited a newspaper called The Colored American. Charlotte had six siblings, including two sisters, Henrietta Cordelia and Florence. Education was important to her father, who made sure each of his girls went to college. Charlotte attended a school called the Institution for the Education of Colored Y…

Admission controversy

She was admitted to the Howard School of Law in the District of Columbia in 1872 because she applied under the name "C. E. Ray" and that Ray used an alternate name to disguise her gender so that her admission would not be instantly revoked. According to others, her use of initials is not proven, and it would not have been needed, because Howard University at this time had a clearly articulated policy of acceptance of both Black men and women.

Independent practice

Ray was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar on March 2, 1872, and admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia on April 23, 1872. Her appointment was noted in the Woman's Journal and gained her inclusion as one of the Women of the Century. Ray began her independent practice of commercial law in 1872, advertising in newspapers such as the New National Era and Citizen, owned by Frederick Douglass. Some sources suggest that she hoped t…

Personal life

Poet Henrietta Cordelia Ray was her sister. At one point all three sisters were teachers. Charlotte gave up teaching for a period to practice law, and Henrietta Cordelia gave up teaching to obtain her masters and write poetry.
Ray attended the National Woman Suffrage Association's New York convention in 1876. After 1895 Ray seems to have been active in the National Association of Colored Women.

Posthumous honors

In March 2006, the Northeastern University School of Law (Boston, MA) chapter of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International chose to honor Ray by naming their newly chartered chapter after her, in recognition of her place as the first female African-American attorney.

See also

• Macon Bolling Allen is believed to be both the first black man licensed to practice law and to hold a judicial position in the United States.
• Jane Bolin was both the first black woman to graduate from Yale Law School and serve as a judge in the United States.
• Thurgood Marshall was the first black Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

External links

• Catherine McHugh, "Who Was Charlotte E. Ray?", Biography.com, January 12, 2016.