Jennie Loitman Barron (October 12, 1891 – March 28, 1969) was an American

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

, lawyer, and judge. She was the first woman to present evidence to a

Grand Jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...

in Massachusetts and the first to prosecute major criminal cases. She was the first woman judge appointed for life to the Municipal Court in Boston (1937), and the first woman appointed to the

Massachusetts Superior Court The Massachusetts Superior Court (also known as the Superior Court Department of the Trial Court) is a trial court department in Massachusetts. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $50,000, and in matters where equita ...

(1959).

Suffrage and other political work

Jennie Loitman Barron became interested in suffrage while a college student. She was the first president of the Boston University College Equal Suffrage Organization. She was invited by

Maud Wood Park Maud Wood Park (January 25, 1871 – May 8, 1955) was an American suffragist and women's rights activist. Career overview She was born in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1887 she graduated from St. Agnes School in Albany, New York, after which she ta ...

to speak at open-air meetings of the

Boston Equal Suffrage Association for Good Government The Boston Equal Suffrage Association for Good Government (BESAGG) was an American organization devoted to women's suffrage in Massachusetts. It was active from 1901 to 1920. Like the College Equal Suffrage League, it attracted younger, less risk-a ...

. In 1917, she was a street-corner speaker in New York City's suffrage campaign. Once suffrage was granted, Barron worked with the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

to address irregular marriage and divorce laws across the country. She wrote the League's official statement arguing for women to serve on juries. Barron was elected to the Boston School Committee from 1926 to 1929, the first mother to serve.

Legal work

Barron opened her own law practice in Boston after being admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1914. Unlike many other suffragists, she supported America's involvement in World War I and became the executive secretary of the Liberty Loan Bond Committee. Barron was an early president of the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers. In 1918 she organized a campaign to allow women to become

notaries A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems. A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...

. She was an assistant Massachusetts Attorney General from 1934 to 1935. In 1937 she was named associate justice of the

Boston Municipal Court The Boston Municipal Court (BMC), officially the Boston Municipal Court Department of the Trial Court, is a department of the Trial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The court hears criminal, civil, mental health, restr ...

, and served for twenty years. In 1959 Barron became an associate justice of the

, where she served until her death in 1969. Barron was also the first female United States delegate to the United Nations Congress on Crime and Juvenile Delinquency. She is remembered on the

Boston Women's Heritage Trail The Boston Women's Heritage Trail is a series of walking tours in Boston, Massachusetts, leading past sites important to Boston women's history. The tours wind through several neighborhoods, including the Back Bay and Beacon Hill, commemorating w ...

Family and Education

Jennie Loitman Barron was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to Jewish Russian immigrant parents. She attended

Girls' High School Girls High School is a historically and architecturally notable public secondary school building located at 475 Nostrand Avenue in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It was built in 1886.''Brooklyn: a soup-to-nuts ...

, graduating as valedictorian at 15. She received a B.A. and a law degree from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

, and opened her own law practice after graduating in 1914.Jennie Loitman Barron
Jewish Women's Archives In 1918 she married fellow lawyer Samuel Barron Jr., and they practiced together as Barron and Barron. The couple had three daughters: Erma Barron Wernick (b. 1919), Deborah Barron Blazar (1923–1956), and Joy Barron Rachlin (b. 1931).Jennie L. Barron Papers
Schlesinger Library.

References

External links

Jennie L. Barron Papers.Schlesinger Library
, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
Jennie Loitman Barron
entry i
Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical EncyclopediaGuide to the Papers of Jennie L. (Jennie Loitman) Barron (1891-1969)
at the

American Jewish Historical Society The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) was founded in 1892 with the mission to foster awareness and appreciation of American Jewish history and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation and ...

, New York. {{DEFAULTSORT:Barron, Jennie Loitman 1891 births 1969 deaths American people of Russian-Jewish descent Boston University School of Law alumni Massachusetts lawyers Massachusetts state court judges Lawyers from Boston Probation and parole officers 20th-century American judges 20th-century American women judges 20th-century American lawyers Girls' High School (Boston, Massachusetts) alumni