Dorothy D. Tyner was an American judge. She was, along with
Mary Alice Miller, the first female judge in Alaska.
Personal life
Tyner was originally from
Kansas and attended the
Washburn University School of Law
The Washburn University School of Law is a public law school located on the main campus of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Washburn Law was founded in 1903. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and has been a member of ...
.
[ She was admitted to the Kansas bar in 1941.][ In the mid-1940s, she married F.E. Stangl, a soldier at Fort Richardson.][ After her marriage, she continued to use her maiden name as her professional name.][
]
Alaskan statehood
Shortly after moving to the territory, she became an advocate for Alaskan statehood.[ In 1947, she argued in front of the United States House of Representatives' Subcommittee on Territorial and Insular Possessions in favor of statehood for Alaska.][
]
Career
While in Kansas City, Tyner worked on the regional war labor board.[ She also taught law at Washburn University.][
Tyner moved to ]Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...
in 1944 as an assistant enforcement attorney in the Office of Price Administration
The Office of Price Administration (OPA) was established within the Office for Emergency Management of the United States government by Executive Order 8875 on August 28, 1941. The functions of the OPA were originally to control money (price contr ...
and traveled extensively throughout the state as part of her duties.[ When Tyner visited in Anchorage in 1945 to explore what her prospects might be as an attorney, members of the bar association "wined and dined" her in an effort to lure her to the community. She became the first woman to open a private law practice in Anchorage][ in 1946.][ She worked in the area of rent control and in 1952 was named the acting area rent director for Alaska.][
In 1958, Tyner challenged ]Hugh Wade
Hugh Joseph Wade (June 29, 1901 – March 25, 1995) was an American Democratic politician who served as the first secretary of state of Alaska, serving from January 3, 1959, until December 5, 1966.
Wade ran for Governor in 1958, dropping out ...
, a fellow Democrat, for territorial treasurer.[
Tyner was appointed by Governor ]Wally Hickel
Walter Joseph Hickel (August 18, 1919 – May 7, 2010) was an American businessman, real estate developer, and politician who served as the second governor of Alaska from 1966 to 1969 and 1990 to 1994 and as U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 1 ...
[ as a district court judge in Anchorage in 1968. She presided over the case that declared Hale Boggs dead and signed his death certificate.][ Tyner retired from the bench in 1977.][
]
See also
* List of first women lawyers and judges in Alaska
References
Work cited
*{{cite book, last=Cravez, first=Pamela, title=The Biggest Damned Hat: Tales from Alaska's Territorial Lawyers and Judges, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HRStDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA87, accessdate=May 9, 2020, date=April 15, 2017, publisher=University of Alaska Press, isbn=978-1-60223-317-1
People from Kansas City, Kansas
Lawyers from Anchorage, Alaska
Washburn University faculty
Washburn University alumni
American women judges
Alaska state court judges
American women academics