Mary Jane Spurlin (January 16, 1883 – June 4, 1970) became Oregon's first woman judge in 1926 after Governor Walter M. Pierce appointed her as a Multnomah County district judge. In 1927, Spurlin was elected president of the Portland Federation of Women's Clubs.
Mary Jane Spurlin | |
|---|---|
 Judge Mary Jane Spurlin, 1924[1] | |
| Multnomah County District Court Judge | |
| In office April 1, 1926 – Unknown | |
| Nominated by | Governor Walter M. Pierce |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 16, 1883 |
| Died | June 4, 1970 (aged 87) Portland, Oregon |
| Alma mater | Lewis & Clark Law School |
Early life
editMary Jane Spurlin was a native of Virginia, the daughter of D. A. and Daisy Marie Spurlin.[2]
Career
editSpurlin graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School in 1924. In 1926, Governor Walter M. Pierce appointed her district judge for Multnomah County. She became Oregon's first women judge on April 1, 1926 when she was sworn into that position. Governor Pierce had previously appointed her to Oregon's Child Welfare Commission.[3][4][5] She was defeated in May 1928 in the following election.[6]
In 1935, Spurlin became Oregon's director of women's programs for the Works Progress Administration.[7]
Spurlin wrote in 1935 about the negative reactions the public had to uniformed police officers, adding that policewomen in street dress had an advantage over uniformed patrolmen in gaining the confidence of both troublesome children and their parents.[8][9]
Spurlin was a member of the Women Lawyers Association of Oregon.[10] She was also a member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs. Spurlin was elected president of the Portland Federation of Women's Clubs on April 9, 1927. In addition, she was a member of the Business and Professional Women's Club (which was organized in Oregon by Abigail Keasey Frankel), the Soroptimist Club, the Women's Convalescent Home Board, the League of Women Voters, the Phi Delta Delta, and the Professional Woman's League.[2][11]
Personal life
editShe moved to Oregon in 1913 and lived at 315 Piatt Building, Portland, Oregon.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Photo Credit: Oregon Historical Society BB013509
- ^ a b c Binheim, Max; Elvin, Charles A (1928). . p. 165.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Pierce Appoints Woman Judge" Daily Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, 13 February 1926, p. 1.(subscription required)
- ^ "Women Judge on Multnomah Bench", Eugene Guard, Eugene, Oregon, 1 April 1926, p. 1.(subscription required)
- ^ "First Women Judge Take Place on Bench", Daily Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, 1 April 1926, p. 16.(subscription required)
- ^ Sullivan, Ann (September 20, 1959). "Legal Field Chosen By Oregon Women". The Oregonian.
- ^ "Griffith Picks Oregon Relief Work Leaders", Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon, 6 July 1935, p. 1.(subscription required)
- ^ Lansing, Ronald B. "Lewis & Clark Law School". Oregon Encyclopedia.
- ^ Appier, Janis (1998). Policing Women: The Sexual Politics of Law Enforcement and the Lapd. Temple University Press. ISBN 9781566395601.
- ^ "The History of Queen's Bench". January 11, 2004. Queen's Bench. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ^ "Business and Professional Women’s Club", Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon, 30 November 1926, p. 7.(subscription required)
External links
edit- Mary Jane Spurlin (1883 - 1970), ancestry.com
- Mary Jane Spurlin, findagrave