Kate Hamilton Pier was born on December 11, 1868 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the daughter of Colwert Kendall Pier, a lawyer, and Kate Hamilton, both from Vermont. Her father was the first white child born in Fond du Lac County, in 1841, and Kate, the oldest of his three daughters, was born on the same farm. Kate Hamilton and each of her daughters — Kate, Caroline, and Harriet — graduated from law school and were among the first eight women lawyers in Wisconsin. Kate was a pioneer in many areas: in 1893, she was appointed as Milwaukee court commissioner — the first woman in the United States to be granted a judicial appointment - and she was the first woman to vote in the county, even before the suffrage amendment was passed. During childhood, Pier lived on the homestead farm just outside the limits of the city of Fond du Lac. She attended the German and English academy, where she learned German, which enabled her to practice law in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Later she attended the public schools and was graduated from the Fond du Lac High School in 1886, 25 years after her mother had graduated from the same institution. A university course was then much desired, but her mother's anxiety to be with her and to have her begin business life under her personal supervision led to their both entering the law department of the Wisconsin State Universityin September, 1886. Both completed the two-year course in one year by taking the work of the junior and senior classes simultaneously. Pier received the LL.B. degree in 1887. She was elected vice-president of the senior class.
Career
After receiving her degree, Pier returned to Fond du Lac for one year, where she practiced law, but also spent time in perfecting her knowledge of German and stenography. In 1888 she moved with her parents to Milwaukee and went into the law department of the Wisconsin Central Railroad for a year. She was in general practice and steadily gained reputation for her intellect and legal knowledge. She won her first victory in the Wisconsin Supreme Court in September, 1889. She practiced in all the courts in Milwaukee, except the municipal, which was solely a police court. She also did some legislative work, spending weeks looking after bills in the interest of women.
