Lavinia Goodell, December 1874
In December 1874, six months after her admission to practice law, Lavinia Goodell kept busy not only running her law office but also speaking to temperance groups. Several days before Christmas, Lavinia wrote to her sister saying that the previous week she had accepted an invitation to lecture at Whitewater, Wisconsin.
Lavinia Goodell: Wisconsin's First Woman Lawyer
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‘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,…
Governor Proclaims June 17, 2024 Wisconsin Women Lawyers Day
Governor Proclaims June 17, 2024 Wisconsin Women Lawyers Day
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Lavinia Goodell becoming Wisconsin’s first woman lawyer, Governor Tony Evers has proclaimed June 17, 2024 Wisconsin Women Lawyers Day.
The proclamation praises Lavinia Goodell for pioneering a path for women in the legal profession across the state and for facing…
‘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…
‘He paid me $5.00 – my first fee here.’
“He paid me $5.00 – my first fee here.”
Lavinia Goodell, December 17, 1879
As 1879 drew to a close, Lavinia Goodell found herself depressed and in ill-health. Her move to Madison (read more here) had not gone as planned. On Wednesday, December 17 Lavinia wrote a 12-page letter to her cousin Sarah Thomas…
“The future for women law graduates is bright”
“The future for women law graduates is bright”
Emily Kempin-Spyri, first woman law graduate in Switzerland, 1888
Arabella Mansfield is often cited as the first woman lawyer in the United States, gaining admission to the bar in 1869 (although she never practiced). By the time Lavinia Goodell was admitted to practice law in Wisconsin in…
“Lydia Maria Child has a good letter to the editor.”
“Lydia Maria Child has a good letter to the editor.”
Clarissa Goodell to Lavinia Goodell, March 3, 1866
Best known for her Thanksgiving poem “Over the river and through the woods,” Lydia Maria (pronounced Mar – eye – ah, the same pronunciation as Lavinia Goodell’s sister Maria Goodell Frost’s name) Child was an influential nineteenth…
“Lavinia Goodell is a shrewd, quick-witted girl, fond of humor, studious and argumentative.”
“Lavinia Goodell is a shrewd, quick-witted girl, fond of humor, studious and argumentative.”
Lippincott’s Magazine, March 1879
Lavinia Goodell received a fair amount of national media attention during the years she practiced law in Wisconsin. While precise numbers are virtually impossible to come by, it is fair to say that when Lavinia was admitted to…
“Clear and cold. Got up late.”
“Clear and cold. Got up late.”
Lavinia Goodell, January 1, 1879
With the exception of 1878, Lavinia Goodell made daily entries in a diary from 1873 until shortly before she died in 1880. The small leather bound volumes are part of the William Goodell family papers housed in the special collections and archives at Berea…
“My admission seems to amuse Deacon Eldred.”
“My admission seems to amuse Deacon Eldred.”
Lavinia Goodell, June 30, 1874
During the eight years that Lavinia Goodell lived in Janesville, Wisconsin, in addition to first studying and then practicing law, she was a member of the Congregational Church, actively promoted temperance, and worked to establish a free reading room in the city. Through…