Annie Coker (née Stephens) was California's first
African-American female lawyer.
Coker entering government service for the State of California in 1939, she was responsible for compiling all of the state codes, indexing all bills pending before the California legislature and rendering legal opinions.
Early life
Born under the name of Annie Virginia Stephens on April 7, 1903, to William Morris (d. 1932) and Pauline Logan Stephens (d. 1929) in
Oakland, California. Her family ran Stephens’ Restaurant, an Oakland establishment off 14th Street near Lake Merritt and one of the first Black-owned businesses in the area. While attending high School, Coker submit the winning nickname, Jewel City, for the
Panama–Pacific International Exposition.
Education
She received her Bachelor of Science degree from
University of California, Berkeley. As an undergraduate Coker with the help of
Ida Louise Jackson, help establish a chapter of
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen stud ...
, Berkeley's first Black sorority. Under strong encouragement from her father, Coker enrolled in
UC Berkeley School of Law. Coker was one of the two female students at her time of enrollment. She also has the distinction of being the first black woman to graduate from Berkeley School of Law. She graduated in 1929 and was admitted to the
State Bar of California
The State Bar of California is California's official attorney licensing agency. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, prescribing appropriate disciplin ...
.
Coker practiced law for a time in
Alexandria, Virginia. By 1939, she returned to California, taking a position at the
California Office of Legislative Counsel in
Sacramento. She worked there for 25 years until her retirement in 1966.
Coker was married twice. At the Age of 83, Coker died on February 17, 1986, in Sacramento.
See also
*
List of first women lawyers and judges in California
This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in California. It includes the year in which the women were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are women who achieved other distinctions such becoming the first in thei ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coker, Annie
Lawyers from Oakland, California
African-American women lawyers
Virginia lawyers
1903 births
1986 deaths
University of California, Berkeley alumni
UC Berkeley School of Law alumni
20th-century American women lawyers
20th-century American lawyers
20th-century African-American women
20th-century African-American lawyers