Charlotte E. Ray

For the American beauty queen, see Charlotte Ray.
Charlotte E. Ray
Born(1850-01-13)January 13, 1850
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJanuary 4, 1911(1911-01-04) (aged 60)
Woodside, Long Island, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesCharlotte E. Fraim
Alma materHoward University, University of the District of Columbia
Occupation(s)Attorney, Teacher
MovementColored Conventions Movement
Parents

Charlotte E. Ray (January 13, 1850 – January 4, 1911) was an American lawyer. She was the first black American female lawyer in the United States.[1][2] Ray graduated from Howard University School of Law in 1872. She was also the first female admitted to the District of Columbia Bar, and the first woman admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia.[3] Her admission was used as a precedent by women in other states who sought admission to the bar.[4]

Ray opened her own law office in Washington, D.C., advertising in a newspaper run by Frederick Douglass.[5] However, she practiced law for only a few years because prejudice against African Americans and women made her business unsustainable.[6] Ray eventually moved to New York, where she became a teacher in Brooklyn. She was involved in the women's suffrage movement[7] and joined the National Association of Colored Women.[8]

  1. ^ Wallenfeldt, Jeff, ed. (2010). Black American Biographies: The Journey of Achievement. New York: Britannica Educational Pub. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-61530-176-8.
  2. ^ Smith, J. Clay, ed. (1998). Rebels in Law: Voices in history of Black women lawyers. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. p. 283. ISBN 0472108832.
  3. ^ Segal, Geraldine R. (1982). Blacks in the Law: Philadelphia and the nation. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812278542.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Emancipation was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Contemporary Black Biography: Profiles from the international Black community. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research Inc. 2007. ISBN 978-0787679323.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Winkle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Thomas was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cabiao, Howard (16 November 2010). "Ray, Charlotte E. (1850-1911)". BlackPast.org. Retrieved January 16, 2019.