Cline, Genevieve (1879–1959)
Cline, Genevieve (1879–1959)
First woman to be appointed a U.S. federal judge. Born on July 27, 1879 (some sources cite 1878) in Warren, Ohio; died in 1959 in Cleveland, Ohio; educated at Spencerian College, Oberlin College, and Baldwin-Wallace Law School, LL.B., 1921.
After completing a one-year business program at Oberlin College in Ohio, Genevieve Cline went to work for her brother John who was an Ohio prosecutor. She attended Baldwin-Wallace Law School, from which she received her L.L.B. in 1921, and was active in politics as a Republican during her years in school. Appointed by President Warren Harding, in 1922 Cline began to serve as appraiser of merchandise at the port of Cleveland, the first woman to be appointed to such a position at a large port city. She worked in this capacity, appraising merchandise that was shipped from foreign ports, until 1928. Cline's appointment to the U.S. Customs Court by President Calvin Coolidge was confirmed on May 25, 1928. The first woman appointed as a U.S. federal judge, Cline sat on the Customs Court until her retirement 25 years later, in 1953. In 1927, she served as vice president of the Ohio branch of the National Association of Women Lawyers.