Ohio Women of Note
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Florence Ellinwood Allen
A Pioneer in Law
by C. William O'Neill
Judge Florence Allen pioneered in breaking the barriers for women in the law - first woman in the history of America to hold the
office of Assistant County Prosecutor, first woman judge of a Court of Common Pleas by election, first woman judge of the highest court of a
state by election, and first woman judge of a United States Circuit Court of Appeals by presidential appointment.
The Attorney General of the United States, in commenting upon the appointment of Florence Allen to the United States
Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, said:
Florence Allen was not appointed because she was a woman. All we did was to see that she was not rejected because she was a woman.
Even though she was born in the Territory of Utah on March 23, 1884, Ohio became her adopted state.
In college, her academic achievements and musical interests and accomplishments set the pattern of excellence for her later life.
She earned both B.A. and M.A. degrees from Western Reserve University and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She became the
only woman in a law class of 100 at the University of Chicago. From that time until her death in September 1966, she was totally committed to the
profession of law and to the advancing social justice within the framework of the law.
Endowed with an excellent mind, a sensitive conscience, great energy, an industrious nature, a warm personality, and
an unyielding dedication to the ideals in which she believed, Florence Allen achieved the full potential of her capabilities.
The life of Judge Florence Allen serves today as a beacon light to guide both men and women in service to mankind.
This article was first published in the 1974 Ohioana Year Book.
At the time, C. William O'Neill was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio and a former governor of the state.
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