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This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in New Hampshire. It includes the year in which the women were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are women who achieved other distinctions such becoming the first in their state to graduate from law school or become a political figure.

Firsts in New Hampshire's history

Marilla Ricker: First female lawyer in New Hampshire (1890)

Lawyers

First female: Marilla Ricker (1890)^[1]
First female litigator: Laura J. Kahn (1968)^[2]

State judges

First female (municipal court): Idella Jenness in 1935^[3]^[4]^[5]
First female: Jean K. Burling (1973) in 1979^[6]
First female (superior court): Linda S. Dalianis (1970) in 1980^[7]^[8]
First female (Supreme Court of New Hampshire): Linda S. Dalianis (1970) in 2000^[7]^[8]
First female (Chief Justice; Supreme Court of New Hampshire): Linda S. Dalianis (1970) in 2010^[7]^[8]
First Black female: Talesha Saint-Marc (2009) in 2023^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]

Federal judges

First female (U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire): Landya B. McCafferty (1991) in 2013^[14]
First Black (female) (U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire): Talesha Saint-Marc (2009) in 2023^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]
Kimberly Bacher:^[15] First female to serve as the Chief Judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Hampshire (2024)

Attorney General of New Hampshire

First female law clerk: Jennie Blanche Newhall (1920)^[16]
First female: Kelly Ayotte (1993) from 2004-2009^[17]

Assistant Attorney General

First female: Marilla Ricker (1890) in 1893^[18]

United States Attorney

First female: Emily Gray Rice (1984) in 2016^[19]^[20]

Political Office

First female (Governor-elect): Kelly Ayotte (1993) in 2024^[17]

Bar associations

First female admitted (New Hampshire Bar Association): Agnes Winifred "Winnie" McLaughlin (1917)^[21]
First female presidents (New Hampshire Bar Association): Patti Blanchette and Susan B. Carbon from 1992-1993 and 1993-1994 respectively^[22]
First female president (New Hampshire Women's Bar Association): Maureen Raiche Manning in 1998^[23]

First 100 women admitted to practice law in New Hampshire

Source:^[24]

Firsts in local history

Martha Crocker:^[25] First female lawyer in Cheshire County, New Hampshire

References

^ Balkan, Gabrielle (2015-10-01). The 50 States: Explore the U.S.A. with 50 fact-filled maps!. Wide Eyed Editions. ISBN 9781847807113.
^ "NEW HAMPSHIRE BAR MEMBERS CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF LAW PRACTICE" (PDF). June 20, 2018.
^ Martin, Mart (2018-04-24). The Almanac Of Women And Minorities In American Politics 2002. Routledge. ISBN 9780429976483.
^ Connecticut Law Journal. Connecticut Law Journal Publishing Company. 1935.
^ Squires, James Duane (1956). The Granite State of the United States: A History of New Hampshire from 1623 to the Present. American Historical Company.
^ "Judge Jean K. Burling Retires for Health Reasons". www.nhbar.org. February 8, 2008. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
^ ^a ^b ^c "NHBA -Bar News Issue". www.nhbar.org. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
^ ^a ^b ^c Senz, Kristen (December 21, 2016). "A Conversation with the Chief". www.nhbar.org. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
^ ^a ^b "Saint-Marc, tapped as federal magistrate judge, poised to make history in NH". New Hampshire Public Radio. 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
^ ^a ^b "Picked to be federal magistrate, Talesha Saint-Marc poised to make NH history". NH Business Review. 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
^ ^a ^b "Shout Out: Talesha Saint-Marc". New Hampshire Magazine. 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
^ ^a ^b Shuman, Cary (January 17, 2024). "Celebration: Zion Church Ministries hosts 18th Annual the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Breakfast" (PDF). Everett Independent.
^ Although she was appointed at the federal level, Saint-Marc is considered the first female judge in New Hampshire's history.
^ "First woman to serve as a federal judge in NH to be sworn in". WMUR. 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
^ Jarvis, Tom (2024-12-18). "Kimberly Bacher Becomes New Hampshire's First Woman Chief Bankruptcy Judge". NHBA. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
^ "NH Women's Bar Association - Jennie Blanche Newhall". nhwba.org. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
^ ^a ^b Choi, Andrew Menezes, Annette (2024-11-06). "Meet the history-makers of the 2024 elections". CNN. Retrieved 2024-11-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Balkan, Gabrielle (2015-10-01). The 50 States: Explore the U.S.A. with 50 fact-filled maps!. Wide Eyed Editions. ISBN 9781847807113. ^{[verification needed]}
^ "U.S. Attorney Emily Gray Rice sworn into office". WMUR. 2016-04-01. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
^ "Emily Gray Rice Sworn In As United States Attorney". www.justice.gov. 2016-01-11. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
^ "About the New Hampshire Bar Association". NHBA. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
^ "Opening the door: Today's wave of female bar presidents". www.americanbar.org. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
^ "New Hampshire Women's Bar Association - Our History". nhwba.org. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
^ "NH Women's Bar Association - First 100 Women". www.nhwba.org. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
^ Pierce, Meghan (January 5, 2022). "Jaffrey speaker series features 'Stories from a terrorist attack"". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2024-04-12.

[1] Balkan, Gabrielle (2015-10-01). The 50 States: Explore the U.S.A. with 50 fact-filled maps!. Wide Eyed Editions. ISBN 9781847807113.

[2] "NEW HAMPSHIRE BAR MEMBERS CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF LAW PRACTICE" (PDF). June 20, 2018.

[3] Martin, Mart (2018-04-24). The Almanac Of Women And Minorities In American Politics 2002. Routledge. ISBN 9780429976483.

[4] Connecticut Law Journal. Connecticut Law Journal Publishing Company. 1935.

[5] Squires, James Duane (1956). The Granite State of the United States: A History of New Hampshire from 1623 to the Present. American Historical Company.

[6] "Judge Jean K. Burling Retires for Health Reasons". www.nhbar.org. February 8, 2008. Retrieved 2018-02-02.

[:0-7] "NHBA -Bar News Issue". www.nhbar.org. Retrieved 2017-10-17.

[:1-8] Senz, Kristen (December 21, 2016). "A Conversation with the Chief". www.nhbar.org. Retrieved 2018-02-02.

[:2-9] "Saint-Marc, tapped as federal magistrate judge, poised to make history in NH". New Hampshire Public Radio. 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2023-05-11.

[:3-10] "Picked to be federal magistrate, Talesha Saint-Marc poised to make NH history". NH Business Review. 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-05-11.

[:4-11] "Shout Out: Talesha Saint-Marc". New Hampshire Magazine. 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2023-05-11.

[:5-12] Shuman, Cary (January 17, 2024). "Celebration: Zion Church Ministries hosts 18th Annual the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Breakfast" (PDF). Everett Independent.

[13] Although she was appointed at the federal level, Saint-Marc is considered the first female judge in New Hampshire's history.

[14] "First woman to serve as a federal judge in NH to be sworn in". WMUR. 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2018-01-20.

[15] Jarvis, Tom (2024-12-18). "Kimberly Bacher Becomes New Hampshire's First Woman Chief Bankruptcy Judge". NHBA. Retrieved 2025-01-09.

[16] "NH Women's Bar Association - Jennie Blanche Newhall". nhwba.org. Retrieved 2020-06-28.

[:6-17] Choi, Andrew Menezes, Annette (2024-11-06). "Meet the history-makers of the 2024 elections". CNN. Retrieved 2024-11-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[18] Balkan, Gabrielle (2015-10-01). The 50 States: Explore the U.S.A. with 50 fact-filled maps!. Wide Eyed Editions. ISBN 9781847807113. ^{[verification needed]}

[19] "U.S. Attorney Emily Gray Rice sworn into office". WMUR. 2016-04-01. Retrieved 2019-01-02.

[20] "Emily Gray Rice Sworn In As United States Attorney". www.justice.gov. 2016-01-11. Retrieved 2019-01-02.

[21] "About the New Hampshire Bar Association". NHBA. Retrieved 2019-01-02.

[22] "Opening the door: Today's wave of female bar presidents". www.americanbar.org. Retrieved 2019-01-02.

[23] "New Hampshire Women's Bar Association - Our History". nhwba.org. Retrieved 2019-01-02.

[24] "NH Women's Bar Association - First 100 Women". www.nhwba.org. Retrieved 2020-09-09.

[25] Pierce, Meghan (January 5, 2022). "Jaffrey speaker series features 'Stories from a terrorist attack"". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2024-04-12.

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