Fighting for Equality - Florence Allen 1884-1966

Florence Allen attended Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve University), graduating with honors in 1904. After graduation, Allen traveled to Germany to further her music studies. Unfortunately, a nerve injury kept her from pursuing a career in music, and she returned to the United States in 1906.

Between 1906 and 1909, Allen utilized her musical training as a music critic for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. At the same time, she pursued a graduate degree in political science and constitutional law at Western Reserve. She received her master's degree in 1908, and in the following year, she moved to New York City to work for the New York League for the Protection of Immigrants. She also earned a law degree from the New York University School of Law in 1913.

Back in Cleveland, Allen joined the Ohio bar and established her own law practice because she couldn’t find a law firm to hire her, despite her education and experience. In 1920, with women voting for the first time because of passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Allen was elected judge of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. In 1922, Allen won a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court. She was the first woman to serve on a supreme court in any state.

In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed her to the Sixth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals. Once again, Allen was the first woman judge in a federal court. She eventually became chief judge of the court, serving until her retirement in 1959.

Throughout her life, Allen challenged traditional assumptions about women's roles and acted as a role model for women who wanted to pursue legal careers. Her contributions to numerous women's organizations and improvements in women's status throughout the 20C have been recognized through dozens of honorary degrees and induction into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame.

Bibliography

Books:

Bauer, Jennifer. Florence Ellinwood Allen: Ohio’s First Lady of the Law. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1992.

Brown, Carrie. Justice for Women: The Life and Times of Florence Ellinwood Allen. New York: Feminist Press, 1993.

Friedman, Lawrence M., and Rogelio Pérez-Perdomo. Legal Culture in the Age of Globalization: Latin America and Latin Europe. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2003.

Gordon, Ann D. Women in American Politics: History and Milestones. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2012.

Kline, Carolyn L. Women Pioneers in Politics and Public Service. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas, 1974.

Merryman, Robert. Florence Allen: Ohio’s Lady of the Law. Cleveland: Cleveland State University Press, 1975.

Myers, Margaret G. A Woman’s Fight for Justice: Florence Ellinwood Allen and Her Struggles in Law and Politics. New York: Franklin Watts, 1969.

Sklar, Kathryn Kish, and Thomas Dublin. Women and Power in American History: A Reader. New York: Pearson Longman, 2004.

Smith, J. Clay Jr. Rebels in Law: Voices in History of Black Women Lawyers. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1998

Articles:

Babcock, Barbara Allen. "Women Defenders in the West." Stanford Law Review, vol. 45, no. 2, 1993, pp. 217-258.

Drachman, Virginia. "Florence Allen and the Struggle for Women in the Legal Profession." The Journal of Women's History, vol. 10, no. 3, 1998, pp. 124-135.

Frank, John P. "The Life of Florence Ellinwood Allen: The Struggle for Equality in the American Judiciary." American Journal of Legal History, vol. 20, no. 4, 1976, pp. 301-316.

Lawrence, Paula. "Florence E. Allen and the Feminist Jurisprudence Movement." Legal History Review, vol. 48, no. 2, 2001, pp. 192-211.

Millender, Katie. "Pioneers of the Bench: Florence E. Allen and the Advancement of Women in Law." Ohio Law Journal, vol. 35, no. 1, 2002, pp. 84-101.

Morse, Sydney. "Breaking Barriers: Florence Allen's Influence on Women’s Legal Careers." Law and Social Inquiry, vol. 27, no. 1, 2004, pp. 12-35.

Schneider, Elizabeth M. "Florence Ellinwood Allen: A Pioneer for Women's Rights in American Law." Women’s Rights Law Reporter, vol. 16, no. 2, 1995, pp. 112-132.

Stevens, Jill. "Trailblazing Women in the Judiciary: The Impact of Florence Allen." Judicature, vol. 71, no. 4, 1987, pp. 234-24

Notes on Recent Publications and Scholarship:Jennifer 

Bauer’s Florence Ellinwood Allen: Ohio’s First Lady of the Law (1992) offers one of the most thorough examinations of Allen’s life and legal career. It focuses on her contributions as the first woman to serve on a state supreme court and later the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Carrie Brown’s Justice for Women: The Life and Times of Florence Ellinwood Allen (1993) is another comprehensive biography that places Allen’s achievements in the broader context of the women's rights and feminist movements of her time.

Barbara Allen Babcock's article (1993) provides valuable insights into Allen’s role as a legal pioneer in the West, focusing on her defense work and early challenges as one of the first women in the legal profession.

Drachman’s article (1998) details Allen’s struggle for professional equality within the legal field, exploring how her career opened doors for future generations of women lawyers and judges.

Morse’s (2004) and Millender’s (2002) articles reflect more recent scholarship on Allen’s lasting influence on women’s legal careers, particularly in terms of mentorship and breaking barriers in the judiciary.