Woman Lawyer: The Trials of Clara Foltz

Details

Author(s):
Publish Date:
January 14, 2011
Publisher:
Stanford University Press
Place of Publication:
Stanford
Format:
Book, Whole
Citation(s):
  • Barbara A. Babcock, Woman Lawyer: The Trials of Clara Foltz, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2011.

Abstract

Woman Lawyer tells the story of Clara Foltz, the first woman admitted to the California Bar. Famous in her time as a public intellectual, leader of the women’s movement, and legal reformer, Foltz faced terrific prejudice and well-organized opposition to women lawyers as she tried cases in front of all-male juries, raised five children as a single mother, and stumped for political candidates. She was the first to propose the creation of a public defender to balance the public prosecutor. Woman Lawyer uncovers the legal reforms and societal contributions of a woman celebrated in her day, but lost to history until now. It casts new light on the turbulent history and politics of California in a period of phenomenal growth and highlights the interconnection of the suffragists and other movements for civil rights and legal reforms.