This year, Stevens worked through the process of  nominating Backus to the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame and the nomination was accepted!   

Backus grew up on a farm in central Michigan. After  graduating from high school, she worked as a stenographer in a small law office in Traverse City.  This choice set her on the path to becoming an attorney and, in 1895, she was admitted to the bar in Traverse City. She moved to Grand Rapids in 1903 to work in the U.S. Attorney's office here.

 

In 1923, she was appointed the first female Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Michigan, one of only six women in the nation at that time holding this position. Her tenure in the U.S. Attorney's office was remarkable, working for six different U.S. Attorneys. Both Republican or Democratic appointees chose to retain Backus because of her immense knowledge of federal law and procedure.  Her 35 years of service here covered turbulent times, including World War I, Prohibition, the Great Depression and the New Deal.

She was appreciated not only for her legal knowledge, but also for her strength of character and dedication to her work. As the first female member of the Grand Rapids Bar Association, Backus blazed the trail for generations of women who followed her into the legal profession in West Michigan. After her death, colleagues remarked that, "  ... she served her country with as much loyalty, fidelity, and unselfish devotion as any patriot whoever marched in battle in defense of his country's flag."  

Michigan Women's Hall of Fame: visit the website and note other women from West Michigan in the Hall of Fame. The Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council is proud to have played a role in the  nomination process for many of them.  A few examples include Helen Claytor, Emma Cole, Mary Jane Dockeray, Grace Eldering, Pearl Kendrick, Elizabeth Eaglesfield, Emily Burton Ketcham.