Charlotte E. Ray (January 13, 1850 – January 4, 1911) was the first African-American female lawyer in the United States.
Ray graduated from Howard University School of Law
in 1872 and became the first female admitted to the District of
Columbia Bar. She was also the “first woman permitted to argue cases in
front of the U.S. Supreme Court in the capital. Ray opened her own law
office and planned to practice real estate law. She did this so she can
avoid “court appearances and the discrimination that women attorneys
encountered.” (Hines) Stewart ran advertisements in a newspaper run by Frederick Douglass.
While practicing she would often use her initials, instead of her full
name, so that “her clients would not suffer because their legal counsel
could be identified as a women.” Ray only practiced for a few years
because the prejudice was just too much at the time. She had two great
odds against her. She was an African American and she was a woman. Due
to these she was unable to attract many clients and forced to close her
practice. Ray eventually moved to New York, where she became a teacher
in Brooklyn. She joined the National Association of Colored Women
and “championed a number of social causes outside of her classroom.”
Her achievements helped inspire countless women, especially
African-American women, to reach for their goals even though it might
seem impossible
Ray was born in New York City to Charlotte Augusta Burroughs and Reverend Charles Bennett Ray, a prominent abolitionist.
Education was important to her father, who made sure each of his girls
went to college. She had six siblings, two of which were sisters,
Cordelia and Florence. He was an important figure in the abolitionist
movement and edited a paper called
The Colored American. Charlotte attended a school called the Institution for the Education of Colored Youth in Washington, D.C., which was one of the few places black women could gain proper education. After this she became a teacher at Howard University
in the Normal and Preparatory Department, which was the University's
Prep School. While teaching at Howard, she registered in the Law
Department. In the law school she specialized in commercial law, and graduated on February 27, 1872 and was the first woman to graduate from the Howard University School of Law.
Some claim she was admitted to the Howard School of Law in the
District of Columbia in 1872 because she applied under the name “C. E.
Ray” and that Ray used an alternate name to disguise her gender so that
her admission would not be instantly revoked. There are also claims
(Smith) that her use of initials is not proven, and it would not have
been needed, because Howard University at this time had a clearly
articulated policy of acceptance of blacks and of women. She was
affiliated with the Phi Beta Kappa. (Hargert).Charlotte had a rough time
growing up with 10 people living in the house
Ray was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar on April 23, 1872.
She began her independent practice of commercial law in 1872, which she advertised in a newspaper called
New National Era and Citizen owned by Frederick Douglass.
She was the first women allowed to practice and argue in the Supreme
Court in Washington D.C. Contrary to popular belief, Charlotte E. Ray
was active in court and can be heard in her pleading for the Galdey vs.
Gadley case, June 3. 1875. (Smith) In this case, she defends an
uneducated woman petitioning for divorce, liberating her from an abusive
relationship. Despite the connections she had from Howard, and the
advertising, she was unable to keep a steady client flow due mostly to
ever present discrimination. Regardless of her legal knowledge and
corporate law expertise, not enough people were willing to trust a black
woman with their cases. Instead she gave up her practice and she
devoted her professionalism to the Brooklyn school system. Hargrove. She
never let anything or anyone stop her for doing what she believed in.
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