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We are delighted to illuminate the important work of Lavinia Goodell. This blog shares significant moments in Lavinia’s life and excerpts from her personal papers. You may browse the posts or use the Table of Contents to find posts that interest you. Please subscribe and help spread the word about Wisconsin's first woman lawyer.

This website is a wonderful tribute to Lavinia Goodell

This website is a wonderful tribute to Lavinia Goodell

Former Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Shirley Abrahamson

“In the 1870’s Lavinia Goodell became the first woman admitted to the Wisconsin state bar and then fought an epic battle for the right to practice before that state’s highest court. One century later I was sworn in as Wisconsin’s first woman Supreme Court Justice. Throughout my career in the law I worked hard to open doors for others, just as Lavinia opened the doors to the courtroom where I proudly sat for more than four decades, and presided as Chief Justice for more than 18 years. Lavinia resides in the pantheon of Wisconsin heroes. This website is a wonderful and loving tribute to this remarkable person. I urge everyone to scroll through these pages and find inspiration. Forward!”Former Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson, March 2, 2020

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“Married women today are not the abject slaves they were fifty years ago”

“Married women today are not the abject slaves they were fifty years ago”

Lavinia Goodell, October 1879

In the fall of 1879, Lavinia Goodell wrote an article for the Woman’s Journal titled “How it Looked to a Lawyer Half a Century Ago.” In it, she lauded the progress women had made during her lifetime (Lavinia was born in 1839) in gaining more rights.

Lavinia noted that in 1837, Timothy Walker, a professor at the Law Department of Cincinnati College delivered a course of lectures on American Law that were published in book form in 1837.  Walker commented, “With regard to political rights, females form a positive exception to the general doctrine of equality. They cannot vote, nor hold office. We require them to contribute their share in the ay of taxes, or the support of government, but allow them no void in its direction.” Walker said if males were treated in this fashion, it “would be the exact definition of political slavery.”   But he said, “probably the most refined and enlightened [women] would be the last to desire a change which would involve them in the turmoil of politics.”

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Welcome to the Lavinia Goodell State Law Library

Welcome to the Lavinia Goodell State Law Library

On September 30, 2024, the Wisconsin State Law Library, located in the Risser Justice Center just off the Capitol square in Madison, Wisconsin, was named in honor of Lavinia Goodell, Wisconsin’s first woman lawyer.

As Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley noted in her remarks at the naming ceremony, Lavinia cherished libraries.  In 1867, when Lavinia was living in Brooklyn, New York, her older sister, Maria Frost, was preparing to move to Janesville, Wisconsin.  Maria reported to Lavinia that Janesville had no public library.  Lavinia could scarcely believe this was true.  She wrote:

I am filled with horror at the idea  of you not having any reading in Wisconsin, and have been forming plans for the amelioration of your condition. Intellectual starvation is quite as painful as physical, tho’ it doesn’t excite the sympathies of the world so much and must not be allowed in this enlightened country, in the full blaze and glory of the Nineteenth Century. Here I am surfeited with more reading than I get time to enjoy. I have recently joined the new Brooklyn Library Association. It is splendid. There is a nice comfortable reading room, with tables, upon which you find all the principal daily and weekly papers, also thirty or forty of our best magazines, both American and Foreign, besides the New American Cyclopedia and a variety of books of every description that members can take out for two weeks. It only costs $8.00 per year, besides $1.00 initiation fee to be a member and enjoy all the privileges of the library.

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“It is real fun to be a lawyer.”

“It is real fun to be a lawyer.”

Lavinia Goodell, August 21, 1874

The early days  of Lavinia Goodell’s legal practice were busy ones.  After being admitted to practice law on June 17, 1874, she was eager to get to work and was willing to take on any clients who wanted to hire her. Lavinia’s diary entries and letters make clear that she was throwing herself into her practice with great enthusiasm and she truly enjoyed being a lawyer.

In August 1874 she tried her first cases to the court after being retained by Jefferson County temperance women to prosecute saloon keepers dealers who violated the law by selling liquor on Sundays.  She won those cases. (Read more here.) She proudly wrote to her sister, “I am not afraid of the liquor men.  I only wish I had plenty of such cases and could win them all. . . . Run away from them and they will run after you, but give them chase and they will run the other way.”

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Wisconsin State Law Library Launches Digital Timeline of Women Lawyers

Wisconsin State Law Library Launches Digital Timeline of Women Lawyers

When Lavinia Goodell was admitted to practice law in 1874, she paved the way for other Wisconsin women to follow her into the profession, and follow they did.  The next two women to take up the practice were Lavinia’s Janesville cohorts Kate Kane – in 1878 – and Angie King – in 1879.  Other Wisconsin women soon joined them.

The Wisconsin State Law Library has developed a digital timeline of women who shaped Wisconsin’s legal landscape.  The timeline may be found here.  While not intended to be exhaustive, the timeline chronicles a variety of women attorneys, judges, activists, and legislators who have made significant contributions to advancing justice and equality in Wisconsin.  The timeline also notes important historical events and features scans from the attorney roll books which attorneys sign when they are first admitted to practice law.  The timeline is well worth a look.  Thank you to the Wisconsin State Law Library for developing this interesting and useful historical reference. 

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Making History: Four Ways to Celebrate 150 Years of Women in the Law

Making History: Four Ways to Celebrate 150 Years of Women in the Law

Join Wisconsin’s legal community in celebrating 150 years of women in the law. Here are four ways that you, your law firm, or local legal community can recognize the significant contributions women have made to Wisconsin’s legal history.

Governor Proclaims June 17 as Wisconsin Women Lawyers Day

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Lavinia Goodell becoming Wisconsin’s first woman lawyer, Gov. Tony Evers has proclaimed June 17, 2024, as Wisconsin Women Lawyers Day.

The proclamation praises Goodell for pioneering a path for women in the legal profession across the state and for facing the many obstacles thrown in her path with unwavering resilience. It recognizes the lasting impact of women lawyers on the fabric of the state’s legal system and emphasizes the importance of continuing to support and promote the advancement of women in the legal profession.

“In the spirit of this proclamation, we invite the legal community to share their own histories and stories of the women within their law firms, offices, or law-related organizations with the public, clients, and local media,” suggests Mary E. Burke. Burke and a consortium of women lawyers, including representatives of the Association for Women Lawyers, the Legal Association for Women, and the Women Lawyers of the North, are planning a variety of activities in 2024 to celebrate this historical event.

Commemorating Goodell’s Admission: June 17 in Janesville

To further celebrate this historical milestone, this consortium of women lawyers is hosting a commemoration of Lavinia Goodell’s admission on Monday, June 17, 2024, which is the anniversary of her admission in Rock County.

Everyone is invited to attend the program at 5 p.m. in the Rock County Courthouse, 51 S. Main St., Janesville. A reception will follow at the nearby Genisa Wine Bar, 11 N. Main St., Janesville (cash bar). There is no cost for the program or reception, but RSVPs are requested for planning purposes. Send replies to wiswomenlaw150@gmail.com.

Exploring Legal Developments Affecting Women: June 20 in Green Bay

The State Bar of Wisconsin’s Annual Meeting & Conference in Green Bay will include a special continuing legal education program exploring some important Wisconsin legal developments affecting women and the women lawyers who advanced them. The program, at 3:15 pm on Thursday, June 20, will begin with a welcome by Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. Topics covered will include:

  • Lavinia Goodell and the right to practice law;
  • Equal pay for equal work;
  • Married women’s right to own property and have credit;
  • Indigenous women’s legal identity, jurisdiction, and missing and murdered indigenous women; and
  • Women as legal peacemakers: collaborative divorce, mediation, and restorative justice

Reenacting Goodell’s Admission: Aug. 8 at Old World Wisconsin

Old World Foundation will host a program celebrating the 150th anniversary of Lavinia Goodell’s admission to practice law in Wisconsin. This program will take place at Old World Wisconsin in Eagle at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 8, during their “Kids Get in Free” week. 

“Old World Wisconsin is Wisconsin’s premier living history attraction that shares the stories of the past through hands-on activities,” says Gwen Griffin, executive director of Old World Foundation. “Thus, this reenactment is the perfect program to bring to the site.” 

The reenactment is especially exciting because this year our foundation is also celebrating the 40-year fundraising partnership with Old World Wisconsin, says Griffin.

To Learn More

To learn more about the celebration of 150 years of women in the law, contact Mary E. Burke at WisWomenLaw150@gmail.com.

To learn more about the programming offered at Old World Wisconsin and to purchase tickets for the Aug. 8 event, visit oldworldwisconsin.org.

For information about Old World Foundation and how it supports Old World Wisconsin, visit oldworldfoundation.org.

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“Little by little, but all the time, we are gaining essential rights.”

“Little by little, but all the time, we are gaining essential rights.”

Woman’s Journal, March 1877

March 8 is Women’s History Day. By happy coincidence, March 8 is also the anniversary of the day that Wisconsin’s governor signed into law legislation drafted by Lavinia Goodell allowing women to practice law in the state.

After Lavinia’s petition to be allowed to practice before the Wisconsin Supreme Court was denied in early 1876 (read more about that here), Lavinia drafted legislation that permitted people of both genders to practice law. Her Janesville colleague John Cassoday , who was speaker of the assembly, introduced the bill for her. In early 1877, Lavinia took the train to Madison where Cassoday introduced her to legislators, although the meetings apparently got off to an inauspicious start. On February 6, Lavinia noted in her diary, “Spent a stupid afternoon in Cassoday’s room waiting for men to come to me and finally had  go to them.”

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“There is no substantial reason why women should be denied the privilege of the ballot”

“There is no substantial reason why women should be denied the privilege of the ballot”

Lavinia Goodell, February 1874

February 1874 was a busy month for Lavinia Goodell. She studied law for hours nearly every day, in anticipation of taking a bar exam that would enable her to officially become a lawyer and begin practicing. She attended Ladies Temperance Union meetings and drafted a petition calling for the repeal of liquor sales in the State of Wisconsin, which she sent to Assemblyman Noah Comstock.

On Monday, February 16, 1874, Lavinia noted in her diary that the day’s mail had brought the Woman’s Journal “with my piece in it.”

The piece in question was titled “Eminent Legal Protests Against the Wrongs of Women,”  and, as with so many of Lavinia’s writings, it advocated for women having full equality with men, both in terms of property rights and by having access to the ballot.

Lavinia was spurred to write the piece after reading an article about Aaron Burr in the January 7, 1874 edition of the New York Weekly Evening Post. The Post article had mentioned Burr’s brother-in-law, Tapping Reeve, who “was the first eminent lawyer in this country who dared to arraign the common law of England for the severity and refined cruelty in cutting off the natural rights of married women, and placing their property as well as their persons at the mercy of their husbands.”

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Posted by admin in Life in Wisconsin: 1871-1880, Women's rights, 0 comments
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