Laura de Force Gordon

Laura de Force Gordon
Born
Laura de Force

(1838-08-17)August 17, 1838
DiedApril 5, 1907(1907-04-05) (aged 68)
Occupation(s)Lawyer and women's-rights advocate
Known forSecond female lawyer in California; first female publisher of a U.S. daily newspaper

Laura de Force Gordon (née Laura de Force; August 17, 1838 – April 5, 1907) was a California lawyer, newspaper publisher, and a prominent suffragette. She was the first woman to run a daily newspaper in the United States (the Stockton Daily Leader, 1874), and the second female lawyer admitted to practice in California.

As an activist, Gordon was a key proponent of the Woman Lawyer's Bill, which allowed women to practice law in California. She also pushed for the inclusion of a section in the California Constitution that prohibited the state from barring women from practicing any profession.