Mary Florence Lathrop (1865–1951) was an American lawyer. She was the first woman to open a law practice in

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and one of the first two female members of the

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. She was inducted into the

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in 1987.

Early life and education

Mary Florence Lathrop was born December 10, 1865 to a Philadelphia

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family and knew early on that she would not be getting married. At the age of 19, she became a reporter at the

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and reported on labor conditions in Pennsylvania fabric mills and campaigned for the rights of children laborers. She traveled the world as a reporter, having been to Europe and Asia as well as the American West. After contracting Tuberculosis, she moved to Denver Colorado, studying law at the University of Denver and receiving her LL.B. summa cum laude in 1896. Her score for the Colorado Bar would stand as a record until 1941.

Career

Lathrop was not only one of the first female members of the American Bar Association, but also the first female member of the

Colorado Bar Association The Colorado State Bar Association (CBA), founded in 1897, is a voluntary bar association for the state of Colorado. There are 26 local bars within the organization. The CBA works for the common interests of attorneys and judges and is a non-pro ...

and the Denver Bar Association. She went on to specialize in probate law. She faced a great gender barrier as an early female lawyer, having been turned down twice before being admitted to practice in front of the U.S. District Court in Colorado. Lathrop was the first woman to try a case in front of the

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, the first woman admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, and was the first woman to join the Denver Bar Association. Her contributions included redrafting Colorado probate statues, aiding in the development of the Small Guardianship Law, and most famously argued in Clayton v. Hallett, a case which established the law of charitable bequests in Colorado. She got an honorary doctorate of law from the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...

Death and legacy

Lathrop died on October 18, 1951 in Denver, Colorado. She not only helped to pave the way for female lawyers who followed in her steps, but received numerous awards. She spent her life helping students with their education and left the bulk of her estate to establish a student loan fund at the University of Denver. The Colorado Women's Bar Association (CWBA) began annually presenting an award named after her beginning in 1991 to an outstanding female attorney who has enriched the community through legal and civic activities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lathrop, Mary Florence 1865 births 1951 deaths 19th-century American lawyers Sturm College of Law alumni 19th-century American women lawyers Colorado lawyers