List of first women lawyers and judges in Ohio
This is a list of the first women lawyer and judge in Ohio. It includes the year in which the women were admitted to practice law. Also included are women who achieved other distinctions such becoming the first in their state to obtain a law degree or become a political figure.
Firsts in state history
Lawyers
- Nettie Cronise Lutes : First female lawyer in Ohio
- Daisy D. Perkins : First African American female lawyer in Ohio
Judicial Officers
State
Judges
- Florence Ellinwood Allen : First female judge in Ohio
- Mary B. Grossman : First female municipal court judge in Ohio
- Lillian W. Burke : First African American female judge in Ohio
- C. Ellen Connally : First African American female elected judge in Ohio
- Mary Wiseman : First openly LGBT female judge in Ohio
- Sherrie Mikhail Miday : First Egyptian American female elected judge in Ohio
- Marilyn Zayas-Davis: First Latino American female elected as judge in Ohio
Common Pleas
- Florence Ellinwood Allen : First female appointed as a Judge of the Common Pleas Court
Appellate Court
- Marie Hoover : First female appointed as a Judge of the Fourth District Court of Appeals in Ohio
- Marilyn Zayas-Davis: First Latino American female elected as an appellate court judge in Ohio
Supreme Court
- Florence Ellinwood Allen : First female appointed as a Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
- Yvette McGee Brown: First African American female appointed as a Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
- Melody J. Stewart: First African American female elected as a Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
Federal
District Court
- Ann Aldrich : First female to become a federal district court judge
- Benita Y. Pearson : First African American female appointed as a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
Appellate Court
- Florence Ellinwood Allen : First female appointed as a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals
Attorney General
- Betty Montgomery: First female Attorney General of Ohio
Assistant Attorney General
- Helen Elsie Austin : First African American female to serve as the Assistant Attorney General of Ohio
Assistant United States Attorney
- Carole S. Rendon: First female to serve as the Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
Bar Association
- Kathleen Burke: First female to serve as the President of the Ohio State Bar Association
Firsts in local history
Region
- Clam M. Millard: First woman admitted to the Bar in Northwest Ohio
- Jazmin Torres-Lugo: First Latino American female elected as a judge in Northeast Ohio
Allen County
- Terri Kohlrieser: First female to serve as a Judge of the Common Pleas Court in Allen County, Ohio
Columbiana County
- Megan Bickerton: first female common pleas judge in Columbiana County, Ohio
Coshocton County
- Thelma F. Lowe : First female lawyer in Coshocton, Ohio
Cuyahoga County
- Mary P. Spargo : First female lawyer in Cleveland, Ohio
- Florence Ellinwood Allen : First female to serve as Cuyahoga County's Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Franklin County
- Evelyn Lundberg Stratton: First female elected as a Judge of the Franklin County Common Pleas Court in Ohio
Hamilton County
- Nee Fong: First Asian American female lawyer in Cincinnati, Ohio
Henry County
- Vadae G. Meekison : Reputed to be the first female lawyer in Henry County, Ohio
Jefferson County
- Michelle Miller: First female judge in Jefferson County, Ohio
Knox County
- Elaine Mayhew : First female lawyer in Knox County, Ohio. She would later become a judge.
Lake County
- Addie Nye Norton: First female probate judge in Lake County, Ohio
- Irene A. Lennon : First female lawyer in Lake County, Ohio. She was also the first female to serve as the President of the Lake County Bar Association in Illinois.
- Francine Bruening: First female elected as the Judge of Common Pleas in Lake County, Ohio
- Karen Lawson: First female to serve as the Juvenile Court Judge in Lake County, Ohio
Lawrence County
- Christen N. Finley: First female common pleas judge in Lawrence County, Ohio
Licking County
- Jennifer L. Chesrown: First female judge in Licking County, Ohio
Lorain County
- Maude May Marsh Washburn : First female lawyer in Lorain County, Ohio
Lucas County
- Geraldine Macelwane: First female to serve as a Judge of the Toledo Municipal Court as well as a Judge of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, Ohio
Montgomery County
- Alice McCollum: First female judge of the Dayton Municipal Court
- Barb Gorman: First female to serve as a Judge of the General Division for
the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court - Helen Wallace: First female juvenile judge for Montgomery County, Ohio
Morgan County
- Janna Woodburn: First native-born female lawyer in Morgan County, Ohio
Perry County
- Luann Cooperrider : First female judge in Perry County, Ohio. She was also the first female assistant prosecutor in the county's history.
Portage County
- Barbara Watson : First female judge in Portage County, Ohio
- Shirley Dubetz First practicing female attorney in Portage County, Ohio.
Richland County
- Cathy Goldman: First female lawyer in Mansfield, Ohio
Trumbull County
- Lulie Mackey: First female lawyer in Trumbull County, Ohio
- Pamela A. Rintala: First female judge of Trumbull County, Ohio
Tuscarawas County
- Patricia McCants DeBoer : First female lawyer in Newcomerstown, Ohio
Warren County
- Rachel Hutzel: First female to serve as the Prosecuting Attorney for Warren County, Ohio
Wayne County
- Carol White Millhoan: First female judge in Wayne County, Ohio
- Latecia E. Wiles: First female to serve as a Judge of Wayne County’s Probate and Juvenile Court
Wood County
- Molly Mack: First female judge in Wood County, Ohio. She is also the first female Wood County Common Pleas Court judge.
Other topics of interest
- List of first minority male lawyers and judges in the United States
- List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Ohio