About this record
R. Lavinia Goodell was the first woman admitted to the Wisconsin State Bar in 1879. Goodell had first applied in 1875, but was denied on the basis of both horror by men at the thought of admitting a woman and by statutes that did not provide for the admission of women. This article looks at the history of Goodell's eventual admission and the challenge to prevailing attitudes and laws that her application engendered.Citation
"Admission to Bar of First Woman Attorney Raised Question Never Settled." Wisconsin State Journal. (14 September 1924);