Ada Kepley
Encyclopedia
Ada Harriet Miser Kepley (February 11, 1847 – June 13, 1925) was the first American woman to graduate from law school
.
Ada Harriet Miser was born in Somerset, Ohio
, in 1847. Her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri
in 1860, and in 1867, Ada married Henry B. Kepley, who had his own law practice in Effingham, Illinois
. At his urging, Ada attended the Union College of Law (now Northwestern
) from 1869 to 1870. There she earned her Bachelor of Laws
in 1870. She was the first woman to graduate from law school in the United States. However, as a woman, she was denied a license to practice law and therefore never officially became a lawyer until the Illinois law barring women from practicing the learned professions was overturned in 1881. Kepley also obtained a Ph.D.
from Austin College in Effingham.
Kepley's true legacy was not in the legal field, but rather in her passion for temperance
and women's suffrage
. Her temperance crusade centered around her establishment of the Band of Hope, a youth-oriented temperance group, which focused on educating the youth of the Effingham, Illinois
area concerning the hazards of alcohol addiction. In conjunction with her organization, she also published a monthly temperance newspaper entitled, The Friend of Home which openly attacked the dram shops (saloons) and their patrons. In 1897, an angered saloon-keeper's son broke into Kepley's home and attempted to shoot her with a gun, but missed and shot one of her dogs in the foot.
Kepley's association with nationally-known women's movement icons Frances Willard
(of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union
or WCTU) and Susan B. Anthony
(co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Association) gained Kepley national recognition in these organizations. Frances Willard attended a WCTU rally in Effingham at Kepley's request. Upon the death of her husband Henry in 1906, the bereaved Ada moved to the Kepley's farm between Watson
and Mason, Illinois
(now known as Wildcat Hollow State Forest). There, Kepley wrote her autobiography, entitled,The Farm Philosopher, A Love Story (since edited and re-published), which she published in 1912. Within the next few years, she lost the farm and was forced to move to a small home in Effingham. Kepley died a charity case in St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in 1925, and is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Effingham, next to her husband, Henry.
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
.
Ada Harriet Miser was born in Somerset, Ohio
Somerset, Ohio
Somerset is a village in Perry County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,549 at the 2000 census.Saint Joseph Church, the oldest Catholic church in Ohio, is located just outside of Somerset on State Route 383.-Geography:...
, in 1847. Her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in 1860, and in 1867, Ada married Henry B. Kepley, who had his own law practice in Effingham, Illinois
Effingham, Illinois
Effingham is a city in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,384 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Effingham County....
. At his urging, Ada attended the Union College of Law (now Northwestern
Northwestern University School of Law
The Northwestern University School of Law is a private American law school in Chicago, Illinois. The law school was founded in 1859 as the Union College of Law of the Old University of Chicago. The first law school established in Chicago, it became jointly controlled by Northwestern University in...
) from 1869 to 1870. There she earned her Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
in 1870. She was the first woman to graduate from law school in the United States. However, as a woman, she was denied a license to practice law and therefore never officially became a lawyer until the Illinois law barring women from practicing the learned professions was overturned in 1881. Kepley also obtained a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Austin College in Effingham.
Kepley's true legacy was not in the legal field, but rather in her passion for temperance
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
and women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
. Her temperance crusade centered around her establishment of the Band of Hope, a youth-oriented temperance group, which focused on educating the youth of the Effingham, Illinois
Effingham, Illinois
Effingham is a city in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,384 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Effingham County....
area concerning the hazards of alcohol addiction. In conjunction with her organization, she also published a monthly temperance newspaper entitled, The Friend of Home which openly attacked the dram shops (saloons) and their patrons. In 1897, an angered saloon-keeper's son broke into Kepley's home and attempted to shoot her with a gun, but missed and shot one of her dogs in the foot.
Kepley's association with nationally-known women's movement icons Frances Willard
Frances Willard (suffragist)
Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist. Her influence was instrumental in the passage of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution...
(of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union
Woman's Christian Temperance Union
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union was the first mass organization among women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far-reaching reform strategies based on applied Christianity." Originally organized on December 23, 1873, in...
or WCTU) and Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony
Susan Brownell Anthony was a prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women's rights movement to introduce women's suffrage into the United States. She was co-founder of the first Women's Temperance Movement with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as President...
(co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Association) gained Kepley national recognition in these organizations. Frances Willard attended a WCTU rally in Effingham at Kepley's request. Upon the death of her husband Henry in 1906, the bereaved Ada moved to the Kepley's farm between Watson
Watson, Illinois
Watson is a village in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. The population was 729 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Watson is located at ....
and Mason, Illinois
Mason, Illinois
Mason is an incorporated town in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. The population was 396 at the 2000 census. It was named after Mayor Roswell Mason of Chicago, who built the Central Illinois railroad.-Geography:...
(now known as Wildcat Hollow State Forest). There, Kepley wrote her autobiography, entitled,The Farm Philosopher, A Love Story (since edited and re-published), which she published in 1912. Within the next few years, she lost the farm and was forced to move to a small home in Effingham. Kepley died a charity case in St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in 1925, and is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Effingham, next to her husband, Henry.
External links
- Ada Kepley at the Women's Legal History Biography ProjectWomen's Legal History Biography ProjectThe Stanford Law School Robert Crown Library Staff in collaboration with Professor Barbara Babcock and her students have created a Women's Legal History Biography Project website as a resource for all who are interested in the subject of women lawyers in the United States...
- Ada Kepley biography by the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society
See also
- Women in the United States judiciary