Celebrate Women's History Month with GGRWHC!
Women at the Bar: A Century of Women Attorneys in
Grand Rapids, 1870s to 1970s
Local attorney and Grand Valley State University (GVSU) law studies professor, Ruth Stevens will trace the first century of women attorneys in Grand Rapids. In the late 1960s and 1970s, a new wave of women attorneys began joining the local bar, paving the way for many others to follow. Yet, these women were not the first to practice law in Grand Raids. Ms. Stevens will tell the story of Elizabeth Eaglesfield, the first local woman to hang out her shingle and begin advertising for clients in the late 1870s. Ms. Eaglesfield was followed by Ella Mae Backus, the first female attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan and its backbone for 30 years. These women and others such as Gale Saunders have become mostly unknown today. Ms. Stevens will bring their stories back to life and link them to the next wave of female lawyers who helped shape the Grand Rapids legal community as it is today.
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Elizabeth Eaglesfield's 1878 advertisement in the Grand Rapids Eagle. |
Ms. Stevens' program is sponsored by the
Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council.
Gerald R. Ford Museum, 303 Pearl Street NW
7 p.m. Thursday, March 13, 2014
Free and open to the public
Free parking
Reception following
A Suffragist Spring:
Taking Over The Grand Rapids Press in 1914
When setting goals for 1914, the National Equal Suffrage Association called for rallies, participation in parades across the country, and the Equal Suffrage Associations' takeover of their local newspapers for a day to promote their cause.The Grand Rapids Equal Suffrage Association met this challenge by editing and producing the May 2, 1914, edition of
The Grand Rapids Press.
Ruth Van Stee, from the Grand Rapids Public Library, History and Special Collections, will talk about this edition, the local women involved, and how their work fit into the national movement.
Join us on April 30 to celebrate the 100
th anniversary of the day Suffragists took over
The Press! The Council also invites members and nonmembers to its end of year reception and brief annual meeting.
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A strange New World--a Women's World--has risen out of the void. |
Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council
Reception
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
5 p.m. Hors d'oeuvres & wine ticket bar
($5/glass or free to up-to-date members)
5:30 p.m. Program & Annual Meeting
Women's City Club, lower level auditorium, 254 Fulton Street
Free & Open to the Public
Park Free in Women's City Club Lots
For February Historical Fun Facts visit our Homepage, www.ggrwhc.org
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JOIN US OR UPDATE YOUR MEMBERSHIP! |
Not a current member of GGRWHC? Membership is easy and helps offset the expenses associated with research and programming presented each year. Your membership helps to set the record straight on the women who've made history here in our community.
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Board meetings are held 5:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month at the Vanderveen Center for the Book at the Grand Rapids Public Library. If you have suggestions for programs, oral histories, or other items, please email us at [email protected] or plan to attend a meeting.
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