Myra Bradwell
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Myra Colby Bradwell was a publisher and political activist. She was the first woman to be admitted to the Illinois bar to become the first female lawyer in Illinois in 1892.
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[edit] Early life
Myra Colby was born on February 12, 1831 in Manchester Vermont. She was the daughter of Eben Colby and Abigail Willey. She lived in Vermont and Western New York during her childhood. When Bradwell was twelve she moved to Schaumburg Illinois with her family (Bradwell). She attended schools in Kenosha Wisconsin and later enrolled in Elgin Female Seminary in Illinois. She completed her formal education by the age of twenty four. She became school teacher after she graduated (Jones). In 1852 Myra Colby married James Bradwell and she became Myra Colby Bradwell. Two years later they moved to Memphis Tennessee. James Bradwell was the head of a private school and Myra Bradwell became a teacher in that school. In 1855 they moved to Chicago where James Bradwell was admitted to the Chicago Bar. He became a successful lawyer, judge, and in 1873 he was elected to the State Legislature. They had four children together.
[edit] Career
A few years after marrying James Bradwell, Myra Bradwell started her formal law training when her husband was accepted to the Illinois Bar. There she apprenticed as a lawyer in her husbands office. There were some complications that came up during her rise to becoming a lawyer. (See Bradwell v. Illinois.) She had four children and two of them died at an early age. She raised fund to help aid the wounded soldiers during the Civil War. She was also a member of the Northwestern Sanitary Commission. In 1868 she founded the Chicago Legal News. It was the most widely circulated legal newspaper in the United States (Mezey). She published information about court opinions, laws, and court ordinances. She supported women suffrage reforms, efforts to gain employment for women, railroad regulation, and improvement of court systems (Mezey). She assisted in writing the Illinois Married Women’s Property Act of 1861 and the Earnings Act of 1869. These were to give married women control over their earnings and property. On August 2, 1869 Myra Bradwell passed the Illinois bar exam. After being denied admission to the Illinois Bar, she filed suit, reaching the Illinois Supreme court, claiming that refusing to admit her to the bar because she was female violated her 14th Amendment rights. The Illinois Supreme court held that the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment did not include the right to practice a profession. Justice Bradley concurred: “The natural and proper timidity and delicacy which belongs to the female sex evidently unfits it for many of the occupations of civil life.
The court's reasoning was fourfold: One, women would not be allowed to practice the law. Two, this would open the flood gates and many more women would want to follow in Bradwell’s foot steps. Three, brutal cases would not be appropriate for a woman to handle. Finally, the state was worried about the effect women would have on the administration office. Bradwell felt that she was being treated unfairly. She decided to take her concerns to the United States Supreme Court. But in 1873 the Supreme Court also denied her to the bar because of her gender. In 1872, the Illinois legislature passes a law stating that “No person shall be precluded or debarred from any occupation, profession, or employment (except the military) on account of gender." Bradwell continued to work on the Chicago Legal News where she was the journals publisher, business manager, and editor in chief. In 1890, she was admitted to the Illinois Bar and in 1892 she had received her license to practice before the United States Supreme Court(Meezey).
[edit] Death
Myra Bradwell died on February 14, 1894 of cancer. She died just two years after she received her license to practice law. Her daughter, Bessie Bradwell Helmer, continued what her mother started. Bessie Bradwell became a lawyer as well as Thomas Bradwell, James and Myra Bradwell’s son. Her life was full of important events including the rights she won for women (Jones).
[edit] Interesting facts
After her death there was an award created in her honor, the Myra Bradwell award. It is presented to a member of the Minnesota Women Lawyers who expresses the highest ideals of the legal profession and who possesses the qualities exemplified by Myra Bradwell such as courage, perseverance, and leadership on issues of concern to women. To be eligible to receive this award one must be an attorney who is a leader in their field and who has exemplified legal excellence, professionalism, and ethics, or an attorney who has reached out to assist other women, e.g., by mentoring, by facilitating institutional support, and/or by being a role model (Myra).
[edit] References
- "Bradwell, Myra Colby." Encyclopedia Britannica from "Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service," Accessed February 14, 2006.
- Jones, Marry Harris. "Myra Bradwell: America's First Woman Lawyer."
- Mezey, Susan Gluck. "Bradwell, Myra Colby." American National Biography Online.
- "Myra Bradwell Award.", Minnesota Women Lawyers.
