Yvonne Kauger (born August 3, 1937) is an associate justice of the
Oklahoma Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is a court of appeal for non-criminal cases, one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and leads the judiciary of Oklahoma, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma. , and was appointed to the Court's District 4 seat by Governor
George Nigh
George Patterson Nigh (born June 9, 1927) is an American politician and civic leader from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd governor of Oklahoma and as the eighth and tenth lieutenant governor of Oklahoma. He was th ...
in 1984, and served as chief justice from 1997 to 1998. She was born in
New Cordell, Oklahoma
New Cordell is a city in, and county seat of, Washita County, Oklahoma, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 183. The population was 2,915 at the 2010 census. The community was previously established a few miles from the current site, but was ...
, and grew up in
Colony, Oklahoma
Colony is a town in northeastern Washita County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 136 at the 2010 U.S. census, a decrease of 7.5 percent from 147 in 2000. It was named for the Seger Colony, founded in 1886, which taught modern agricultu ...
, and is an honorary member of the
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes are a united, federally recognized tribe of Southern Arapaho and Southern Cheyenne people in western Oklahoma.
History
The Cheyennes and Arapahos are two distinct tribes with distinct histories. The Cheyenne (Tsi ...
of
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
. Kauger founded the Gallery of the Plains Indian in Colony, Oklahoma and is also the co-founder of the Red Earth organization. Kauger also serves as Symposium Coordinator of the Sovereignty Symposium. Kauger was inducted into the
Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by Oklahoma Governor George Nigh "to honor Oklahoma women who are pioneers in their field or in a project that benefits Oklahoma; who have made a significant contribution to the State of Oklahoma ...
in 2001.
Early life
Kauger was born in
New Cordell, Oklahoma
New Cordell is a city in, and county seat of, Washita County, Oklahoma, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 183. The population was 2,915 at the 2010 census. The community was previously established a few miles from the current site, but was ...
, and grew up in
Colony, Oklahoma
Colony is a town in northeastern Washita County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 136 at the 2010 U.S. census, a decrease of 7.5 percent from 147 in 2000. It was named for the Seger Colony, founded in 1886, which taught modern agricultu ...
, where she helped her parents John and Alice Kauger with various chores on the family farm including picking cotton. Upon getting her driver's license, Kauger accepted a summer job at a small law firm. She was the valedictorian of her graduating class at Colony High School in 1955. Her time with the small law firm inspired her to pursue her law degree.
Education
Kauger attended
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) is a public university in Weatherford and Sayre, Oklahoma. It is one of six Regional University System of Oklahoma members.
History
SWOSU was first established through an act of the Oklahoma Ter ...
where she majored in biology and minored in both chemistry and English. She graduated in three years and worked as a medical technician at a medical arts lab for five years after graduating from an internship program at Saint Anthony Hospital. Kauger used this profession to fund her dream of becoming a lawyer. Kauger received her law degree at
Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1969, where she graduated first in her law school class.
Upon graduation, Kauger had received many job offers and worked in a private practice for Senator Cleeta John Rogers for two and a half years. After this, Kauger worked for Justice Ralph B. Hodges as a clerk for eleven and a half years before she was appointed to succeed Justice Hodges on the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Kauger was appointed to the Court by Governor
George Nigh
George Patterson Nigh (born June 9, 1927) is an American politician and civic leader from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd governor of Oklahoma and as the eighth and tenth lieutenant governor of Oklahoma. He was th ...
in 1984, and was one of the first two women appointed to the Court along with
Alma Wilson
Alma Bell Wilson (May 25, 1917 – July 27, 1999) was an Oklahoma attorney who was appointed as the second female district judge in the state of Oklahoma in 1975. In 1982, she was elevated as the first woman to serve on the Oklahoma Supreme Court ...
. She served as chief justice from January 2007 to December 2008.
In 1986, Chief Justice
John B. Doolin appointed Justice Kauger to establish and coordinate the Sovereignty Symposium, which has become an annual two-day event sponsored by the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The Symposium is held in the renovated Judicial Center building in Oklahoma City. The symposium attracts national and international experts and tribal leaders to discuss topics connected to art, law and history. Such issues can be exchanged in a scholarly, non-adversarial environment.
[Allen, Cindy. "Justice Yvonne Kauger doing her part to preserve, honor Native American culture." ''okc Friday''. Undated.](_blank)
Accessed May 20, 2019.
After the Judicial Center renovation was complete, Kauger decorated it with 70 pieces of Native American art works that she found in the Oklahoma History Center archives. She then collaborated with writer Gayleen Rabakukk and photographer Neil Chapman, while she served as editor herself.
Achievements
*Kauger was inducted in the
Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by Oklahoma Governor George Nigh "to honor Oklahoma women who are pioneers in their field or in a project that benefits Oklahoma; who have made a significant contribution to the State of Oklahoma ...
in 2001.
*Governor's Arts Awards
*Woman of the Year by the Oklahoma City Chapter of Business and Professional Women's Club (1984)
*Adopted by the Cheyenne-Arapaho tribes (1984)
*Selected by High Noon as Woman of the Year (1985)
*Honorary doctorate from
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and doctor ...
(1991)
*Herbert Harley Award by the American Judicature Society (1999)
*Inducted into the
Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by Oklahoma Governor George Nigh "to honor Oklahoma women who are pioneers in their field or in a project that benefits Oklahoma; who have made a significant contribution to the State of Oklahoma ...
(2001)
*District State-Federal Judicial Council Hall of Fame
*Co-founded annual Red Earth Festival.
Francis-Smith, Janice. "Yvonne Kauger Has Built a Hefty Resume in Her Role as the OK Supreme Court's Only Female Justice." ''The Journal-Record''. August 3, 2006.
Accessed May 23, 2019.
*Washita County Hall of Fame
*First Coordinator of the Sovereignty Symposium (2016)
See also
*List of female state supreme court justices Female state supreme court justices
First female justices
Below is a list of the names of the first woman to sit on the highest court of their respective states in the United States.
The first state with a female justice was Ohio; Florence E. ...
Notes
References
Oklahoma City Journal Record article on Kauger
External links
Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Oral History Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kauger, Yvonne
1937 births
Living people
Chief Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court
Women chief justices of state supreme courts in the United States
Women in Oklahoma politics
People from New Cordell, Oklahoma
Southwestern Oklahoma State University alumni
Oklahoma City University School of Law alumni
20th-century American judges
21st-century American judges
20th-century American women judges
21st-century American women judges