Marguerite Dilhan (1876–1956) was a French lawyer. Born in 1876 in Miélan (

Gers Gers (; oc, Gers or , ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the ''Gersois'' and ''Gersoises'' in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377.

), she was the daughter of Ferdinand and Antoinette Cécile Valérie Ponsan, who married on December 27, 1875, in

Sembouès Sembouès is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Ame ...

. She was 16 when her father passed away, and 18 when her mother followed, leaving three orphaned daughters, of whom Marguerite was the eldest. To meet their financial needs, she studied law at the University of Toulouse, graduating i
1902
During her brilliant studies, she was, thanks to her talents, Secretary of the Conference during her internship. She went on to become the first woman to open her own law firm and to plead before the '' Cour d'Assises'' in a criminal case on 26 November 1903, where she received the compliments of the judge for her defense . After obtaining he
diploma in law
at the University of Toulouse, she was sworn in July 1903, at the age of 27, thanks to the law of 1 December 1900 allowing women to take the oath of attorney after Olga Balachowski-Petit and

Jeanne Chauvin Jeanne Chauvin (22 April 1862 – 7 September 1926) was the second woman to obtain a degree in law in France, in 1890. Her application to be sworn in as a lawyer was at first rejected, but after the law was changed in 1900 she was the second French ...

. She continued her career as a lawyer for over fifty years. Agathe Dyvrande-Thévenin invited her to join the "Groupement amical des Avocates de France", at a time when women did not yet have the right to vote. Marguerite Dilhan was elected its vice-president. This organisation later became the lAssociation française des femmes des carrière
juridiques
'. Marguerite Dilhan successfully defended Arria Ly, a radical feminist who defended women's right to fair labor, the right to vote, and self-defense, engaged in duels against men. She also defended soldiers during the First World War before the war council. Later, in her office on rue Gatien-Arnoult, she was the lawyer for the very numerous Spanish refugees in Toulouse from 1939 onwards and for the Retiradabr>
In coordination with her friend Marthe Condat, she fought for public hygiene and against health problems, including support for Goutte de lait. In connection with her work as a lawyer, she was secretary of the ''Société de patronage des libérés par le travail'' and the École de la paix. Marguerite Dilhan received the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in 1933 and the Officier de la Légion d'honneur i
1949
Her funeral took place on March 6, 1956, in Toulouse's Saint-Sernin basilica, in the presence of many members of the Bar. Marguerite Dilhan Plaque

The city of Toulouse named a street after her and a commemorative plaque adorns her former home and law firm, at 2 bis rue Gatien-Arnoult. In the Gers : * the city of Miélan named a street for her following a decision of the city council on 29 June 2006. * the town of Saramon named a street Marguerite Dilhan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dilhan, Marguerite 1876 births 1956 deaths 20th-century French women lawyers 20th-century French lawyers People from Gers People from Toulouse Officers of the Legion of Honour

See also

References