List of first women lawyers and judges in Wyoming

This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Wyoming. It includes the year in which the women were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are women who achieved other distinctions such becoming the first in their state to obtain a law degree or become a political figure.

Firsts in state history

Esther Morris: First female to serve as a judicial officer in the United States (1870)

Grace Raymond Hebard: First female lawyer in Wyoming (1898)

Lawyers

• Grace Raymond Hebard (1898):[1] First female lawyer in Wyoming
• Laura Bicknell Harris:[2] First female lawyer to argue a case before the Wyoming Supreme Court (1927)
• Nancy Guthrie:[3][4] First female prosecutor in Wyoming (1978)

Justice of the Peace

• Esther Hobart Morris:[5] First female Justice of the Peace in Wyoming (1870)

County Court

• Betty Kail (1953):[6][7] First female county judge in Wyoming (1981)

District Court

• Betty Kail (1953):[6][7] First female district court judge in Wyoming (1983)

Supreme Court

• Marilyn S. Kite:[2] First female appointed as a Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court (2000)

District Court

• Nancy D. Freudenthal (1980):[8] First female appointed as a Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming (2010)

Attorney General

• Gay Woodhouse (1977):[9] First female Attorney General of Wyoming (1999-2001)

Deputy Attorney General

• Ellen Crowley Suyematsu:[10] First female to serve as a Deputy Attorney General of Wyoming (1959)

County Attorney

• Nancy Guthrie:[3][4] First female to serve as a County Attorney in Wyoming (1978)

Bar Association

• Catherine "Cathy" McPherson:[11][12] First female to serve as the President of the Wyoming Bar Association (2000-2001)

Firsts in local history

Big Horn County

• Nancy Guthrie:[3][4] First female to serve as the County Attorney in Big Horn County, Wyoming (1978)

Laramie County

• Mary B. Guthrie:[4] First female to serve as the City Attorney for Cheyenne, Wyoming [Laramie County, Wyoming]

Sublette County

• Lucky McMahon:[13] First female to serve as the County Attorney for Sublette County, Wyoming (2008)

Teton County

• Erin Weisman:[14] First female to serve as the County Attorney for Teton County, Wyoming (2018)

See also

• List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States
• Timeline of women lawyers in the United States
• Women in law

References

1. The American Bar Association Journal. American Bar Association. 1960.
2. Roberts, Phillip J. (2008). "Wyoming Blue Book: Volume V" (PDF). Wyoming State Archives.
3. Wyo, Sarah Lison, Jackson Hole. "9th District judge to retire". Jackson Hole News&Guide. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
4. "Esther Hobart Morris Symbolizes Equal Rights". Cowboy State Daily. 2019-11-26. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
5. "First woman judge dies in Wyoming - Apr 02, 1902 - HISTORY.com". HISTORY.com. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
6. "The late Judge Betty Kail of Lander to be honored in Wyoming Supreme Court exhibit". County10. January 11, 2018.
7. Eagle, Katie Kull, Wyoming Tribune. "Wyo. Supreme Court exhibit to highlight successes of women in the law". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
8. bureau, JEREMY PELZER - Star-Tribune capital. "Senate confirms first lady". Casper Star-Tribune Online. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
9. "Woodhouse Roden Nethercott, LLC | Gay Woodhouse". Woodhouse Roden Nethercott, LLC. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
10. The Key. 1960.
11. Lehman, Larry L.; Parkinson, Jerry; Drew, Paul J. (2001). "Proceedings of the 2000 Wyoming State Bar Annual Meeting". Wyoming Law Review.
12. "Leadership In The Legal Profession: Are Female Lawyers Making Progress?". digitaleditions.walsworthprintgroup.com. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
13. "Pinedale Roundup". www.sublette.com. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
14. Kolwey, Frederica. "Taking Stock: What the 2018 election shows about female candidacy today and into the future". Jackson Hole News&Guide. Retrieved 2020-02-27.