In 1891, Kate Pier became the first woman to argue a case before the Wisconsin State Supreme Court, 16 years after Rhoda Goodell was denied that right. Kate's mother and her two sisters all earned law degrees from the University of Wisconsin.
Study Questions:
Who was the first woman in Wisconsin to practice law and in what year?
Who was the first woman judge in Wisconsin and in what year?
Who was Edward Ryan and what were his opinions about women becoming lawyers?
Search these newspaper databases for additional stories about pioneer women lawyers and judges:
March 8, 1877: The Wisconsin Legislature passed an act providing "no person shall be denied a license to practice law in the courts of the state on account of sex."