Myra Bradwell

Myra Colby Bradwell, born on February 12, 1831, went on to lead a life of political activism focused on women’s rights and became the first woman who applied to the Illinois state bar. Originally a school teacher, Myra Bradwell’s curiosity for legal studies started in the hopes of helping her husband James B. Bradwell a lawyer in the Illinois Bar, but grew into something much more. Bradwell began studying law as an apprentice under her husband, and sat for the Illinois bar exam in 1868 which she passed and was eligible for certification by the Illinois Supreme Court for admission to the bar. The Illinois Supreme Court rejected her application at first because she was a married woman and then later simply because she was a woman. Bradwell filed a writ of error to the United States Supreme Court.

While her case was pending, Bradwell became the founder and editor of the newspaper Chicago Legal News which was the first weekly legal newspaper in the Midwest. Her position as editor placed her in the public eye and Bradwell turned to a life of activism. She drafted a law requiring women to keep their own earnings, as well as advocating for women’s suffrage and other women’s civil rights issues. In May 1873, the Supreme Court upheld Illinois’ denial of admission to the bar, holding that admission to a state bar was not a right protected by the 14th Amendment. The Court went on to argue that women were limited to their role as homemaker because of their weakness and inability to be rational. (Bradwell v Illinois 83 US 130-142 (1873).

Myra Bradwell refused to give up even after this holding and continued to work for women’s rights and legal issues. It wasn’t until 1890, that the Illinois Supreme Court granted Bradwell a license to practice law. Bradwell did not reapply for admission but was granted the license by the Court to correct its previous error. In 1892, she was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Myra Bradwell was truly a pioneer in the field of women in the law. She led a life devoted to political and legal activism fighting for women’s civil rights and the rights of others. She died in 1894 from cancer but is still remembered today as a leader in the women lawyers’ movement. Further, she is remembered in the world of journalism as a leader and innovator for her work with Chicago Legal News.

Helpful Sources:
Stanford’s Women’s Legal History Biography Project

Entry for Myra Bradwell:
This is a fascinating entry with list and links with full text to many of the following: biographies, chapters and articles that feature Myra Bradwell. This entry also includes archival materials and legal cases that Myra Bradwell participated in as an attorney.

Written by Brittany Cronin, Law Librarian Fellow