Genevieve Rose Cline (July 27, 1877 – October 25, 1959) was a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the

United States Customs Court The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Int'l Trade or Intl. Trade) is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in New York City, it exercises ...

and the first woman to serve in the United States federal judiciary, serving as an

Article I Article One may refer to: Legal codes * Article One of the United States Constitution, pertaining to the powers of the United States Congress * Article One of the Constitution of India, pertaining to the federal nature of the republic Other us ...

federal judge.

Education and career

Born on July 27, 1877, in

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, Cline was the daughter of Edward B. Cline and Mary A. (Fee) Cline. She graduated from Warren High School and attended Cleveland's

Spencerian Business College Spencerian Business College is the name of various business schools established in the 19th century by Platt R. Spencer, his son Robert C. Spencer, or by Enos Spencer (whose relation to the other two Spencers is unclear), sometimes in associatio ...

. She later attended

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

, then transferred to

Baldwin Wallace College Baldwin Wallace University (BW) is a private university in Berea, Ohio. It was founded in 1845 as Baldwin Institute by Methodist businessman John Baldwin. The school merged with nearby German Wallace College in 1913 to become Baldwin-Wallace C ...

, from which she graduated with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

(LL.B.) degree in 1921. During the 1910s, Cline served as President of the Cleveland Federation of Women's Clubs for six years, and was Chairman of the Ohio Federation of Women's Clubs for two years.Genevieve R. Cline
brief biography; retrieved 2008-06-15. She entered private practice in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

from 1921 to 1928. She was an appraiser of merchandise for the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...

in Cleveland from 1922 to 1928, becoming the first women to hold such a post.

Federal judicial service

Cline was nominated by President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

on May 4, 1928, to an Associate Justice seat (Judge from June 17, 1930) on the

vacated by Associate Justice William C. Adamson. She was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on May 25, 1928, and received her commission on May 26, 1928. She took her oath of office in the Cleveland Federal Building on June 5, 1928, becoming the first American woman ever appointed to the federal bench, serving as an

federal judge. Her service terminated on March 1, 1953, due to her retirement. She was succeeded by Judge

Mary H. Donlon Mary Honor Donlon, later Mary Donlon Alger, (August 25, 1893 – March 5, 1977) was a judge of the United States Customs Court. Education and career Donlon was born on August 25, 1893, in Utica, New York, the daughter of Joseph M. Donlon and M ...

Death

Cline died on October 25, 1959, in Cleveland.

Painting

A painting of Cline is included in a group mural at the Student Services area of

Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Cleveland State University College of Law is the law school of Cleveland State University, a Public university, public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. The school traces its origins to Cleveland Law School (founded in 1897), which merged in ...

.Cleveland-Marshall College of Law art collection
; retrieved 2008-06-15.

Bibliography

*"Erie County Federation." Sandusky (OH) Star-Journal, June 22, 1921, p. 4. *"Genevieve Cline Opposed for Customs Judge." Portsmouth (OH) Daily Times, May 16, 1928, p. 5. *Norma H. Goodhue. "No Gender in Law, Says Woman Judge." Los Angeles Times, April 17, 1949, p. C1. *"Legal Profession." San Antonio (TX) Light, March 12, 1933, p. 27. *Kathleen McLaughlin. "Senior Woman Federal Judge Authority on Customs Cases." New York Times, January 28, 1940, p. D6. *"Mme. Walska Wins Fight for Rights of Wives." New York Times, January 17, 1930, p. 1. *"Ocean Travelers." New York Times, December 20, 1940, p. 31. *"Ohio Federation of Women's Clubs." Sandusky (OH) Star-Journal, May 8, 1920, p. 8. *Patricia Rood. "Important Legislation." Sandusky (OH) Star-Journal, March 3, 1917, p. 5. *Patricia Rood. "The Northeast District Meetings." Sandusky (OH) Star-Journal, February 24, 1917, p. 8. *"What Ohio Club Women Are Doing." Newark (OH) Daily Advocate, December 9, 1916, p. 5. *"Woman Federal Judge to Hear Walska Women's Rights Case." New York Times, October 31, 1928, p. 7. *"Woman Takes Oath as Customs Judge." New York Times, June 7, 1928, p. 28. *"Women Leaders Will Speak Here." Sandusky (OH) Star-Journal, April 12, 1920, p. 8.

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Baldwin Wallace History: Genevieve Cline

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cline, Genevieve Rose 1877 births 1959 deaths American women lawyers Baldwin Wallace University alumni Cleveland State University College of Law alumni Judges of the United States Customs Court People from Warren, Ohio United States Article I federal judges appointed by Calvin Coolidge 20th-century American judges 20th-century American women judges