Judge jane bolin biography

(1908-2007)

Who Was Jane Bolin?

Jane Bolin graduated from Yale Law School and, after relocating to New York City, became sworn in by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia as the first African American female judge in the U.S. She served on the Family Court bench for four decades, advocating for children and families via outside institutions as well. She died at age 98 on January 8, 2007.

Background

Jane Matilda Bolin was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, on April 11, 1908, to an interracial couple, Matilda Ingram Emery and Gaius C. Bolin. Her father was an attorney who headed the Dutchess County Bar Association and cared for the family after his wife's illness and death, which occurred when Bolin was a child.

A Diligent Scholar

Bolin was a superb student who graduated from high school in her mid-teens and went on to enroll at Wellesley College. Though facing overt racism and social isolation, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1928 and was officially recognized

•

“JUDGE JANE BOLIN” Link copied!

“Those gains we have made were never graciously and generously granted. We have had to fight every inch of the way — in the face of sometimes insufferable humiliations.” Judge Jane Bolin was the first Black woman graduate of Yale Law School and the first Black woman judge in the United States. She set an example for me and all other Black women who followed her at Yale lag. As a judge she was an inspiration for a new generation of women and Black women lawyers. She also was an influential voice for children, families, and the disadvantaged throughout her long career on the bench. When she passed away in January at age 98, we lost a piece of our history but inherited a rich legacy.

Judge Bolin’s father was also a lawyer and a pioneer. The first Black graduate of Williams College, he went on to open a lag practice in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Spending time in his office inspired young Jane Bolin to consider her own

•

Jane Bolin

American judge (1908–2007)

Jane Matilda Bolin (April 11, 1908 – January 8, 2007) was an American attorney and judge. She was the first black woman to graduate from Yale Law School, the first to join the New York City Bar Association and the first to join the New York City Law Department. Bolin became the first black woman to serve as a judge in the United States when she was sworn into the bench of the New York City Domestic Relations Court in 1939.^[1]

Early life and education

[edit]

Jane Matilda Bolin was born on April 1, 1908, in Poughkeepsie, New York. She had ten siblings. Her father, Gaius C. Bolin, was a lawyer and the first black person to graduate from Williams College,^[2] and her mother, Matilda Ingram Emery,^[3] was an immigrant from the British Isles who died when Bolin was 8 years old. Bolin's father practiced law in Dutchess County for fifty years and was the first black president of the Dutchess County Bar Association.^&