Leona Pouncey Thurman (1911–1985) was an American attorney who became Kansas City, Missouri's first African American female lawyer. She was also Missouri's first African American female lawyer to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States.[1]
Leona Thurman | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 1, 1911 Russellville, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | May 1, 1985 (aged 73) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Other names | Leona Pouncey |
| Alma mater | Henderson Business College Howard University (LLB) |
Early life and education
editShe was born on July 1, 1911, in Russellville, Arkansas. Before settling in Kansas City, Missouri, she attended the Henderson Business College in Memphis, Tennessee. She earned her law degree in 1949 from Howard University School of Law
Career
editAfter earning her Bachelor of Laws in 1949, she became the first African American female lawyer in Kansas City.
In 1962, she became the first African American female from Missouri admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. Additionally, Thurman served as the President of the Southwest Bar Association.[1][2]
Personal life
editThuman married her first husband, James D. Pouncey, in 1937, and pursued a legal career after his death. She married a second time in 1957 to A. Odell Thurman, a school administrator.[3] Thuman died on May 1, 1985, in Kansas City, Missouri.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Smith, John Clay (2000). Rebels in Law: Voices in History of Black Women Lawyers. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 9780472086467.
- ^ Mo. Woman to Practice Before Supreme Court. Jet Magazine. June 28, 1962.
- ^ "Biography of Leona Pouncey Thurman (1911-1985), Attorney | KC History". kchistory.org. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- ^ "Leona P. Thurman, K.C's first Black woman lawyer". African American Registry. Retrieved 2019-08-30.