Maxine E. Ryer Miller

Maxine Evelyn Ryer (December 1, 1899 – June 12, 1930) was the first woman to study law at the University of Notre Dame and the first woman to practice law in St. Joseph County, Indiana.

Early life

M.E. Ryer was born in South Bend, Indiana on December 1, 1899, to Lester F. Ryer (1872–1937) and Violet Pearl (Hartman) Ryer (1877–1962). She had one sibling, Bernice Ryer Collmer (1898–1961).[1] Throughout her life she was referred to alternately as “Maxine” and “Evelyn.”

Ryer graduated from South Bend High School in 1916,[2] where she was active in dramatic arts and performed in the initial play given at “the first Little Theater ever opened by a high school in America.”[3] She subsequently attended Nazareth Academy in Kalamazoo, Michigan to study violin and drama.[4] By 1920 she was offering violin lessons to pupils in South Bend.[5]

Law Studies and Bar Admission

Ryer enrolled in 1921 as the first female law student at the University of Notre Dame.[6] She also began serving as a clerk in the law office of former South Bend City Attorney Frank H. Dunnahoo.[6]

On September 12, 1922 Ryer passed an examination and became the first woman admitted to the St. Joseph County (Indiana) bar for active practice in court.[7] Bar examinations in Indiana were conducted on a local, rather than state-wide, basis until 1931.[8] Three women had previously been admitted to the local bar, but did not practice law.[9] In April 1923 she was admitted to practice before the federal courts and Supreme Court of the State of Indiana.[10] She is not included in the Student Directory at Notre Dame in 1922-23[11] and does not appear to have received a degree from the university.

Personal Life and Death

Ryer married Everett Miller in St. Joseph, Berrien County, Michigan on May 25, 1925.[12] She died on June 12, 1930, in South Bend, Indiana, of heart disease.[13][14] She did not have any children.

References
  1. 1880 U.S. census, St. Joseph County, Portage Township, Indiana, E.D. 136, sheet 9, dwelling 167, family 192, Lester Ryer household.
  2. "Class of 147 To Receive Diplomas". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. May 26, 1916. p. 9.
  3. "Little Theater Is Now Open To Public". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. December 4, 1915. p. 8.
  4. "Society News-Personal Mentions". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. September 6, 1916. p. 5.
  5. "Advertisements". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. October 1, 1920. p. 8.
  6. "Is Admitted To St. Joseph Bar". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. September 9, 1922. p. 5.
  7. "Miss Maxine Ryer To Practice Law In County Courts". South Bend (Indiana) News-Times. September 13, 1922. p. 10.
  8. Oare, Lenn J. (1932). "The Genesis of Bar Examinations in Indiana". Notre Dame Law Review. 7: 70–80.
  9. "Women At The Bar". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. September 17, 1922. p. 22.
  10. "Recognized Despite Sex". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. April 15, 1923. p. 8.
  11. "University of Notre Dame Student Directory, 1922-1923" (PDF).
  12. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics. Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952; film 180, record 549.
  13. "First Woman Lawyer at South Bend Is Dead". Chicago Tribune. June 14, 1930. p. 18.
  14. "Mrs. Miller, 30, Attorney, Dies". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. June 13, 1930. p. 18.
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