Kathryn J. DuFour (March 19, 1910 — February 4, 2005) was the first female judge in the

Maryland Circuit Courts The Circuit Courts of Maryland are the state trial courts of general jurisdiction in Maryland. They are Maryland's highest courts of record exercising original jurisdiction at law and in equity in all civil and criminal matters, and have such add ...

. The law library at The Catholic University of America is named in her honor.

Early life and education

Born in

Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and Nort ...

, DuFour was a teenage actress, playing small roles for MGM and

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, until her mother forced her to stop acting and finish high school. After marrying a trial attorney and moving to Maryland, DuFour pursued law herself, graduating from the Washington College of Law at

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

in 1935. After law school, she worked as a private attorney and for the Legal Aid Bureau and raised two children.

Career

In 1950 she was elected to the

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Council. In 1953 she was appointed to the Maryland General Assembly by Governor Theodore McKeldin. In 1955 she was appointed as a judge in the Maryland Sixth Judicial Circuit Court. In 1967 she became the first female chief judge on the same circuit.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DuFour, Kathryn J. Maryland state court judges 1910 births 2005 deaths Washington College of Law alumni 20th-century American judges 20th-century American women judges 21st-century American women