Social Reformer, she was the first female lawyer on the West Coast, among a number of firsts. A descendant of Daniel Boone, she moved to Mount Pleasant, Iowa, with her parents and attended Howe's Seminary. At age 15, she eloped with Z. D. Foltz, and moved to California in 1872. After her husband deserted her, she began studying law in the office of a local judge, and after being denied admission to Hastings College of the Law because of her gender, she sued, argued her own case, and won admission. She passed the bar exam in 1878, but California law at the time allowed only white males to become members of the bar. Foltz authored a state bill which replaced "white male" with "person," and in September 1878, she was the first woman admitted to the California bar. She later also became licensed to practice law in New York. In 1910, she was appointed to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, becoming the first female deputy district attorney in the United States. She was active in the suffrage movement, authoring the Women's Vote Amendment for California in 1911. Foltz also raised five children, mostly as a single mother, and encouraged women not to overlook their traditional domestic roles. The Criminal Courts Building in downtown Los Angeles was renamed after her in 2002, known as the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center. She died in her home at 153 S. Normandie Ave, Los Angeles. She was cremated and interred at Inglewood Cemetery.
Social Reformer, she was the first female lawyer on the West Coast, among a number of firsts. A descendant of Daniel Boone, she moved to Mount Pleasant, Iowa, with her parents and attended Howe's Seminary. At age 15, she eloped with Z. D. Foltz, and moved to California in 1872. After her husband deserted her, she began studying law in the office of a local judge, and after being denied admission to Hastings College of the Law because of her gender, she sued, argued her own case, and won admission. She passed the bar exam in 1878, but California law at the time allowed only white males to become members of the bar. Foltz authored a state bill which replaced "white male" with "person," and in September 1878, she was the first woman admitted to the California bar. She later also became licensed to practice law in New York. In 1910, she was appointed to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, becoming the first female deputy district attorney in the United States. She was active in the suffrage movement, authoring the Women's Vote Amendment for California in 1911. Foltz also raised five children, mostly as a single mother, and encouraged women not to overlook their traditional domestic roles. The Criminal Courts Building in downtown Los Angeles was renamed after her in 2002, known as the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center. She died in her home at 153 S. Normandie Ave, Los Angeles. She was cremated and interred at Inglewood Cemetery.
Bio by: Joe Walker
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See more Foltz or Shortridge memorials in:
- Inglewood Park Cemetery Foltz or Shortridge
- Inglewood Foltz or Shortridge
- Los Angeles County Foltz or Shortridge
- California Foltz or Shortridge
- USA Foltz or Shortridge
- Find a Grave Foltz or Shortridge
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