Betty Reynolds Cobb (October 23, 1884 – May 27, 1956) was an attorney, author, and activist. She was one of the first women accepted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

, and one of the first female lawyers in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. In 1916, Minnie Anderson Hale, Cobb, and Mary C. Johnson were respectively admitted in the state of

to practice law. Cobb was also an early member of the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. In 1916, her book "Little Boy Black" was published.

Early life/family

Cobb was born on October 23, 1884, in a mostly white neighborhood in

Cedartown, Georgia Cedartown is a city and the county seat of Polk County, Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 10,190. Cedartown is the principal city of and is included in the Cedartown, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is i ...

. She was raised by her parents in

Carrollton, Georgia Carrollton, Georgia is a city in the northwest region of Georgia, about 45 miles (72 km) west of Atlanta near the Alabama state line. It is the county seat of Carroll County, which is included in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. Historically, ...

, and grew up with her brothers and cousins. Betty was married and widowed at a very early age to local merchant, Hiram Felix Cobb. Felix died shortly after the birth of their daughter, Elizabeth Reynolds Cobb. Companionless, Betty was obligated to care for her young daughter without a father figure. Following Elizabeth's high school commencement exercises, Betty re-located in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Elizabeth received a higher education at

Agnes Scott College Agnes Scott College is a private women's liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia. The college enrolls approximately 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and is considered one of the ...

. Elizabeth later married James E. Boyd, former President of

West Georgia College The University of West Georgia is a public university in Carrollton, Georgia. The university offers a satellite campus in Newnan, Georgia, select classes at its Douglasville Center, and off-campus Museum Studies classes at the Atlanta History Ce ...

.http://www.stanford.edu/group/WLHP/articles/cobbhall.htm During Boyd's reign, a women's dormitory was built in honor of Betty and her accomplishments.

Schooling/career

Cobb received a high school diploma but never completed the formal, official training to become a lawyer. Before passing the

bar exam A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associa ...

, she pursued a career in teaching and earned a living as Associate Editor of the newspaper, Carroll Free Press. Cobb was the former President and one of the founders of the Georgia Association of Women Voters. Betty was affiliated with the

, Active Voters, and the Fourth District A&M School board of trustees. Every year, outstanding students of the

University of West Georgia The University of West Georgia is a public university in Carrollton, Georgia. The university offers a satellite campus in Newnan, Georgia, select classes at its Douglasville Center, and off-campus Museum Studies classes at the Atlanta History Ce ...

are awarded the Betty Reynolds Cobb

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

. Writing was a component of Betty's career. She published "Little Boy Black", a collection of short stories, in 1926. Cobb also served as a

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

to Sidney Holderness. While in office, Betty confidentially studied law and prepared to take the bar exam. Betty’s newfound

knowledge Knowledge can be defined as awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also refer to familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is distinc ...

and interest in law led her to believe that she was well-prepared to take the Georgia State

Bar Exam A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associa ...

. After passing the bar exam, Cobb practiced law for 25 years.

Activism

Georgia was among the last of the southern states in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to allow women to play a role in law. Georgia waited many years after women were first permitted to be attorneys to grant them their right to sit for the bar exam. Under certain conditions of the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

law, women were not qualified as candidates for the bar exam. Betty Reynolds Cobb is credited for her leading role in

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. She sought for women to have the right to hold higher positions in

society A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Socie ...

. Betty addressed many issues ranging from the betterment of women in the general public to the entrance of women in areas of specialization. Cobb believed that women should have been allowed to pursue duties other than those belonging to the typical

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American and Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a hous ...

. She also believed that women should have been granted the opportunity to be successful in the

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

if they displayed the same qualities and abilities as men.

"Little Boy Black"

Cobb was actively engaged in writing. Her short story, "Little Boy Black" was published in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

, 1926, by The J.W. Burke Company Publishers.Cobb, Betty. ''Little Boy Black''. Macon, Georgia: J.W. Burke, 1926. The book was illustrated by John E. Cramer, Jr. The life and southern culture of

, inspired her to write the short story having a

Negro In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...

, African American boy as the main

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

. "Little Boy Black" consists of nine short stories: "Little Boy Black", "Ol' Master", "Love and Politics", "Aunt Savannah's White Folks", "Uncle Lige Pleads His Own Case", "The Owl Foretells a Parting", "The Coward", "Miss Julie's Ring", and "Counsel for Defense".

Death

Cobb died in

, May 27, 1956. Her

eulogy A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person or persons, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a ...

was delivered in Atlanta and her burial proceeded in

References

External links

Betty Reynolds Cobb: Pioneer Lady Lawyer of Georgia

information on building at the

Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

* Writers from Georgia (U.S. state) *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cobb, Betty Reynolds 1884 births 1956 deaths 20th-century American women lawyers Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Writers from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Cedartown, Georgia 20th-century American lawyers