19 Facts About Mary Hall

Mary Hall was the first female lawyer in Connecticut, and a poet, a suffragist, and a philanthropist.

In 1882, the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors' decision to allow Hall to be admitted to the Connecticut Bar was the first judicial decision in the nation to hold that women were permitted to practice law.

Mary Hall was born in Marlborough, Connecticut, one of seven children of Gustavus E Hall and Louisa Hall.

Gustavus Mary Hall was a prosperous farmer and miller, known to be one of liberal convictions.

Mary Hall graduated from Wesleyan Academy in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, in 1866.

Mary Hall was an accomplished poet, winning a medal for her commencement poem and having her poems published in newspapers.

Mary Hall then went on to teach mathematics at the LaSalle Seminary near Boston, where she became the Chair of Mathematics.

Mary Hall approached her brother, Ezra, who was already an attorney and Connecticut State Senator, about her decision.

Mary Hall studied law and copied and prepared judicial opinions under Hooker's supervision and instruction for over three years.

In 1882, at the age of 38, Mary Hall made her application to the Connecticut Bar.

On March 24,1882, the Hartford Bar Association held a regular meeting at which Hooker moved to have Mary Hall admitted to the usual examination before the Bar Examining Committee, attesting that she had studied law in his office for three years and that she possessed the requisite qualifications for admission to the bar.

The members agreed to allow Mary Hall to be examined for the bar, subject to the ruling of the Supreme Court of Errors on its legality.

Mary Hall had many supporters nationwide who believed that her admission to the Bar would be important for women's suffrage.

In March 1885, Mary Hall helped to found the Hartford Woman Suffrage Club and served as its Vice President.

Mary Hall attended the International Council of Women to celebrate the first Woman's Rights Convention, where the International Woman's Bar Association was founded.

Mary Hall was then elected Assistant Secretary at the Connecticut Woman's Suffrage Association convention.

In 1895, Mary Hall became a member of the State Board of Charities and was responsible for investigating and regulating the charitable institutions through the state.

Mary Hall testified before the State Judiciary Committee in 1905 against a bill that would prohibit girls from selling newspapers.

Mary Hall is remembered as a pioneer in the legal profession and a suffragist and reformist in Connecticut because of her dedication to the cause of women and of the welfare of underprivileged children.