10 Facts About Alma Wilson

Alma Dorothy Bell Wilson was an Oklahoma attorney who was appointed as the second female district judge in the state of Oklahoma in 1975.

Alma Wilson was one of six women in a class of 100 students, who graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1941.

In 1969, when the Oklahoma Court System was reorganized and both county judges and justices of the peace were abolished in favor of a district trial system, Alma Wilson was appointed as the Special Judge in charge of minor cases for Garvin County.

Alma Wilson served on the Court of Tax Review for six years and was an appointee by the governor to the Commission on the Status of Women.

Alma Wilson was appointed by Governor George Nigh in 1982 as the first woman justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court, becoming the first female chief justice in the state in 1995.

Alma Wilson served until 1997 as chief justice and served the presiding judge of the Appellate jurisdiction of the judiciary.

Alma Wilson died after a short illness at her home in Oklahoma City, on July 27,1999.

Alma Wilson received numerous awards and honors both during her lifetime and posthumously.

Alma Wilson was inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame in 1983 for her service as president of the Oklahoma Association of Women Lawyers, as well as her appointment to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

Alma Wilson was recognized with the Pioneer Woman award in 1985 and named Appellate Judge of the Year in both 1986 and 1989.