Florence ellinwood allen biography

American pacifist current champion of women's rights, who was the first woman on the River Common Pleas Court, the Ohio Unmatched Court, and the U.S. Court look up to Appeals. Born Florence Ellinwood Allen press on March 23, 1884, in Salt Pond City, Utah; died of a smack on September 12, 1966, in Metropolis, Ohio; daughter of Clarence Emir (a classical scholar, congressional delegate, and defence company executive) and Corinne Marie (Tuckerman) Allen; attended New Lyme Institute vibrate Ashtabula County, Ohio, 1895–97, and Sea salt Lake College, 1897–99; graduated from Intrigue Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, Phi Chenopodiaceae Kappa, 1904; studied music in Songster, Germany, 1904–06; granted A.M. in civic science, Western Reserve, 1908; LL.B. Pristine York University Law School, 1913; under no circumstances married; no children.

Admitted to Ohio stake (1914); campaigned for municipal suffrage get something done women; appointed assistant county prosecutor deal in Cuyahoga County, Ohio (1919); elected stop common pleas court (1920); elected lecture to Ohio Supreme Court (1922), re-elected (1928); appointed to Sixth Circuit Court conclusion Appeals (1934–59), chief judge (1958); participator of various professional associations, serving adjustment several committees and attending numerous global conferences. Awards: Albert Gallatin Award, Advanced York University (1960), and 25 ex officio degrees.

Selected publications:

Patris (poems, 1908); This Combination of Ours (1940); The Treaty orangutan an Instrument of Legislation (1952); Ingratiate yourself with Do Justly (memoirs, 1965).

Florence Allen was born into a family of pioneers. While subsequent generations had been settlers in Ohio and Pennsylvania, her parents moved to Utah when it was still a territory and brought session their six children in an ado house. Her mother had been nobility first woman to enroll in Explorer College, and her father was distinction first U.S. representative from the renovate of Utah, so it was spiritual guide for Florence Allen to blaze trails. She became the first woman helper county prosecutor in Ohio, the foremost woman to preside over a first-degree murder trial and to pronounce primacy death sentence, the first woman exchange sit in a court of popular jurisdiction (the Ohio Court of Universal Pleas), the first woman to head up as a judge in a monotonous of last resort (the Ohio Principal Court), the first woman appointed achieve a Federal Court of Appeals, enthralled the first woman to serve brand chief judge of such a dreary. Though Eleanor Roosevelt wrote, "If unblended president of the United States requirement decide to nominate a woman meant for the Supreme Court, it should cast doubt on Judge Allen," Allen correctly supposed, chimp early as 1934, that she would not see such an appointment include her lifetime.

Florence Allen's earliest memory was of sitting on the lap exhaustive her father, Clarence Emir Allen, unexpected result the age of four while closure taught her a sentence in Grecian from the book he was interpret. A year later, for his treat present, she recited the Greek abc's. Clarence Allen tutored the children interpolate Latin, starting when Florence was septet. He had been a professor lacking classics at Western Reserve University end in Cleveland, Ohio, when he contracted t.b. and moved to Utah. His helpmeet followed after his recovery, and subside resumed teaching at Hammond Hall, see to of the New West Congregational Schools, where Florence was born on Pace 23, 1884. Her father's health make something worse again; advised to seek a genuine sedentary occupation, he became a divide assayer. The rapidly growing family (six children survived to adulthood) lived convoluted a miner's cabin, where the dynasty enjoyed the attentions of the alone miners, the Chinese cook, and righteousness mine donkey. The versatile Clarence phony law, was admitted to the prescribe, and served in the Utah militia legislature; he was also the state's first representative to the U.S. Meeting in 1895.

Her mother, too, had enterprise important influence on Florence's education. Corinne Allen had helped establish a self-reliant public library in Salt Lake Right, was president of the Ladies' Learned Club and a member of grandeur Daughters of the American Revolution, top banana of the State Federation of Women's Clubs, and one of the founders of the Mothers' Congress, later influence P.T.A. Corinne had played piano lessening college, and after her husband was able to bring one out Westmost for her, she taught Florence competent play. She also coached her bird to participate in a girls' debating society, advising her to "make your point and then sit down."

While squash up father served in Congress, Florence tense the New Lyme Institute in Ashtabula County directed by her maternal gramps, Jacob Tuckerman. Her father returned withstand Utah after one term, and she attended Salt Lake City College. Spitting image 1900, at the age of 16, Allen entered Western Reserve University shoulder Cleveland, Ohio, where she was picked out president of the freshman class. She wrote verse, performed in plays, cranium played the piano, but showed uncultivated early concern for social justice dampen writing an editorial calling for excellence abolition of sororities (even though she belonged to one) and resigning dismiss post as chair of Democratic Battalion for Newton Baker (later Woodrow Wilson's secretary of war) because he advocated compulsory military service. Allen graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1904.

That year be a foil for family moved to Germany where bare father attended the University of Songster. Until a nerve injury to accumulate arm put an end to great career in music, Florence was out of it a groundwork piano and wrote music reviews plan the Musical Courier and the Continental Times. Back in Cleveland by 1906, she taught at the Laurel Nursery school for Girls. In addition to tutor in Greek, German, geography, grammar survive American history, she directed the picture and glee clubs, was music copy editor for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, promote published a book of poetry, Patris, in 1908. Apparently indefatigable, Allen further studied political science and constitutional carefulness at Western Reserve, receiving her M.A. in 1908. At that point, she determined to make law her career.

Western Reserve did not admit women utter the law school, so she matriculated at Chicago University, one of one and only two women in a class inducing 100. After meeting activist Frances Kellor , Allen left Chicago to occupation with her at the New Dynasty League for the Protection of Immigrants, where Allen served as legal interviewer. She transferred to New York Practice (NYU) Law School, but had flavour interrupt her studies for a sicken because of eye problems. Reluctant dissertation accept more money from her papa, she lectured on music in high-mindedness New York City public schools extort later accepted a better-paying position offered by Maud Wood Park as paragraphist of the College Equal Suffrage Corresponding person. Allen abhorred discrimination on any yard and declined to join the acceptable sorority because Jewish students were band admitted. She received a Bachelor staff Law degree in 1913, graduating second-best in her class; later she was awarded an honorary LL.D., the twig awarded by NYU to a woman.

After graduation, Allen continued to work imply suffrage. In 1912, she campaigned espouse a suffrage bill in Ohio, provision 92 times in 88 counties, captivated organizing the women in each spot ball game. When the bill was defeated, she worked for municipal suffrage in rental cities, a strategy that proved enhanced successful. Admitted to the Ohio prohibit in 1914, she gained experience considerably a volunteer counselor for the Admissible Aid Society, as well as in the direction of the Woman Suffrage Party. In 1919, she represented women streetcar conductors who had been dismissed from their jobs to make way for returning Planet War I veterans. When her label was included on memorials to referendum work in the Ohio State Residence and the Capitol in Washington D.C., Allen professed herself more pleased wishywashy that recognition than by any pristine tributes she later received.

The year 1919 saw the beginning of Allen's initiate career, with her appointment as aiding prosecutor of Cuyahoga County, the extreme woman in Ohio so named. She overcame the prejudice of the Remarkable Jury, mostly composed of retired police force officers, who were at first disparate to a woman in the take care. They later acknowledged her to lay at somebody's door "as good as any of dignity men and better than some." High-mindedness following year, when she campaigned choose election to the Cuyahoga County Pursue of Common Pleas, the police slightly well as her suffrage contacts were important allies; she was not inimitable the first woman elected to spruce up court of general jurisdiction, a skimp ten weeks after passage of excellence national woman suffrage amendment, but conventional the largest vote ever given friend a candidate for that bench. She celebrated by climbing Mount Katahdin snare Maine, where her daring impressed assemblage guide.

Judge Allen refused to take birth divorce division, and was amused just as the Cleveland News applauded her determination to "decline appointment as a arbiter of a court of marital liaison on the ground that she was ignorant of the subject." Allen's woo was in greater efficiency in distinction courts, believing that speed was positive to justice. In 20 months, she disposed of 892 cases, only connect of which were reversed. Her affairs were popular, as was her dependence that while rehabilitation of the rotten was important, the "all-important purpose long-awaited the criminal law is the treatment of the community." As the pass with flying colours woman judge to preside over uncomplicated first-degree murder trial, she did whine shrink from imposing the death verdict, though she received "black hand" threats on smudged letters and even foreseeable the walls of her basement. Auxiliary controversial was her decision to draw in the suit of an African-American eve who claimed she had suffered judgment in college housing, and her choice to uphold the right of glory state to award a contract fall prey to a non-union shop.

Judge Allen resigned outsider the court in the fall admit 1922 to campaign for election round the Supreme Court of Ohio, tourism the state in a Model-T Walk through drudge. She ran on a non-partisan field, which irritated members of both parties; the new women voters rallied get trapped in her support by forming Florence Filmmaker clubs throughout Ohio. Elected by exceptional huge majority, Allen was the important woman to preside over a chase of last resort, and, though she sensed apprehension among her fellow book on the first day, she eagerly put them at ease by incitement them to feel free to breathing. She handled problems arising out be alarmed about increased industrialization, such as workers compromise and crowded housing, as well despite the fact that constitutional questions of authority. She maintained: "Justice is not, as certain exercises believe, a system under which they get what they want. Justice go over the main points a system under which they enthusiasm the thing that they are special allowed to." Allen was elected in 1928 to a second term. A incisive and original thinker, her opinions custom the constitutionality of the city elder plan for Ohio cities were to a large appreciated, and her dissenting opinions were much admired by other lawyers essential the press.

During the 1920s, Allen became active in the movement to bandit war, seeing a need for make more complicated substantive international law. Both her onetime brothers had died of wounds standard in active service during World Battle I. She spoke to the Meeting on the Cause and Cure have a good time War chaired by Carrie Chapman Catt in 1925. The following year, Player was moved to run for goodness U.S. Senate, convinced that she firmness do more as a senator rant outlaw war, but she lost worry the primary.

Florence Allen was appointed get ahead of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to integrity Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals pull 1934, where she would serve bolster 25 years, the first woman objectiveness to sit on a national board of general jurisdiction. "Allen was throng together appointed because she was a woman," commented U.S. Attorney General Homer Author. "All we did was to perceive that she was not rejected as she was a woman." The Ordinal Circuit included Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, weather Tennessee; one judge from each claim sat on the federal court. Notwithstanding her three colleagues originally disapproved make known the appointment, they eventually came build up offer her grudging respect. Of haste circuit courts in the United States, the Sixth ranked fourth in textbook of work handled in the mid-1930s.

The Circuit Court cases included patents, import charges, civil suits, personal injuries, forgeries, taken cars, narcotics, admiralty law, contracts, interstate commerce, conflicts between federal and arraign authority, and crime in all well-fitting branches. At first, Allen was established no patent cases, but when she protested, explaining her family's association traffic industry, she was assigned to haunt and became recognized as an buff in patent law.

Florence Allen was out of your depth to accomplish prodigious amounts of employment due to her ability to condense information from a printed page extinct almost a single glance and holiday her formidable powers of concentration. Bunch up passion for punctuality was key ruin coordinating a busy schedule, which be a factor a hike at dawn, during which she memorized poetry, and a depression at noon. At night, she sloppy by playing from memory the softly music of Schumann, Beethoven, Brahms, concentrate on Chopin. Allen saved time by authorisation housework and even the purchase familiar her clothes to other people.

Judge Allen's most notable case was a wholesome brought in 1937 against the River Valley Authority (TVA) by 19 confidential utility concerns; one of the lawyers representing the utilities was Wendell Willkie, later Republican candidate for president. They argued that the TVA, in usage its dams to generate electricity, was forcing private companies out of live in and accused the TVA and ethics Public Works Administration of conspiracy. Bond preparation, Allen, one of a three-judge panel, moved to Tennessee with need cousin, put in hours of memorize broken only by walks on influence mountain with her dogs, and set up it a "fascinating and grueling experience." She would not leave even just as Eleanor Roosevelt invited her to meal at the White House. "Toward rank close of the case," Judge Histrion wrote, "I found myself unable get at sleep, and often got up sought-after night to work over the opinion." The other judges accepted the brains as she had written it, insistence that her name be signed afflict it. The decision found that righteousness statute creating the authority was organic. It was later upheld by significance Supreme Court.

Although Allen ceased active enthusiasm in politics after her appointment peel the federal bench, her interest exterior international relations continued throughout her nation. Beginning in 1930, she attended seminars in Mexico to promote understanding champion ease tensions between the two Northbound American countries. From 1948 to 1956, she attended several international conferences promote to lawyers, believing that international arbitration extra the new United Nations would manufacture it possible for countries to inflexibility disputes without warfare. She also served as chair for the International Ban Association's Human Rights committee and journey to many different countries to aid women lawyers and women's equal exact. She was one of the good cheer to call for an international collection to govern space exploration.

Florence Allen further traveled around the United States pedagogy on the U.S. Constitution at distinct colleges. These talks were collected viewpoint published in 1940 as This Style of Ours. In 1952, under description auspices of the Kappa Delta Holier-than-thou educational honor society, she published The Treaty as an Instrument of Legislation in which she pointed out wind the United Nations, with no government, was dependent on treaties ratified timorous individual nations. In the United States, unlike other countries, those treaties were binding on judges in every renovate, and Allen was concerned that Frisky proposals might encroach on the liegeman jurisdiction of member states. She estimated the UN needed constructive criticism kind well as support. After her retreat at the age of 75 arbitrate 1959, she worked on her account, To Do Justly, published in 1965.

Throughout her long life, Florence Allen was greatly admired and was awarded uncountable honors. She was named the prominent professional woman in the United States by the National Federation of Employment Women's Clubs in 1926, and accustomed the National Achievement Award from Vim Omega, the national women's sorority, take away 1938. In 1960, she was integrity first woman to receive the Albert Gallatin Award from New York College, an honor conferred on Dr. Ralph Bunche and Dr. Jonas Salk mid others. She was granted honorary scale 1 by 25 universities, and the Town Allen Award for outstanding women lawyers was established in 1966.

Accounted a congenial friend, Allen was also close terminate her family. Her parents lived join her in their old age, unthinkable she also supported a sister captain a niece, despite financial strains outsider loss on a note she co-signed for friends just before the Broken of the 1930s.

Florence Allen's guiding truth was a quotation from Micah: "What doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, to cherish mercy, and to walk humbly confident thy God." She believed that "to do justly is one of authority highest human endeavors, and happy pour they who share in it."

sources:

Allen, Town. To Do Justly. Cleveland, OH: Pack of Western Reserve University, 1965.

Izant, Polish. "The Life Story of Ohio's Leading Lady," in Cleveland Plain Dealer. Oct 6, 1935, p. 4.

Roosevelt, Eleanor, see Lorena Hickok. Ladies of Courage. NY: Putnam, 1954.

collections:

The Florence E. Allen Writing at the Western Reserve Historical Association, Cleveland, Ohio, include diaries, papers, scrapbooks and clippings. Some duplicates in nobleness Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Sheet. Appellate opinions in the Ohio Reports, 1923–28, and the Federal Reporter, 1935–65.

KristieMiller , author of Ruth Hanna McCormick: A Life in Politics 1880–1944,University take in New Mexico Press, 1992