Kathryn Sellers
Head Judge of the Juvenile Court for the District of Columbia
In office
1918–1934
Appointed byWoodrow Wilson
Personal details
Born
Kathryn Sellers

(1870-12-25)December 25, 1870
Broadway, Ohio, U.S.
DiedFebruary 23, 1939(1939-02-23) (aged 68)
Washington, D.C., U.S.

Kathryn Sellers (December 25, 1870 – February 23, 1939) was the first woman to be appointed a federal judge in the United States. She was nominated to the head of the Juvenile Court of the District of Columbia by President Woodrow Wilson in 1918.[1]

Biography

Sellers was born on December 25, 1870, in Broadway, Ohio.[2] She worked as a bibliographer and librarian, and was employed by the weather bureau in Washington, D.C., and by the U.S. Department of State from 1900 to 1911.[3] During this time Sellers became a member of the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia.[4]

In 1918, Wilson nominated her to be head of the Juvenile Court of the District of Columbia. She was confirmed later that year, making her the first woman appointed to the federal bench. Sellers served as a judge until she resigned on February 17, 1934.[5]

She died on February 23, 1939, at her home in Washington, D.C.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Weatherford, Doris (20 January 2012). Women in American Politics: History and Milestones. CQ Press. pp. K360–. ISBN 978-1-60871-007-2.
  2. ↑ Proctor, John Clagett; Williams, Edwin Melvin; Black, Frank P. (1930). Washington, Past and Present: A History. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 115.
  3. ↑ Ohio State Bar Association (1943). Ohio Bar: Publication of the Ohio State Bar Association. Ohio state bar association. p. 246.
  4. ↑ "WBA History". Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "Woman Jurist 13 Years on Bench". The Los Angeles Times. December 28, 1931. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
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