Timelines

From Woman Lawyer: The Trials of Clara Foltz -- Online Notes For The Book

Revision as of 05:44, 26 April 2012

There are three timelines here: the first covers the main events of Clara Foltz's professional life; the second the passage of the women’s clauses at the 1879 constitutional convention; the third the main events in Foltz’s campaign for a public defender.

Life Events

Timeline of the Main Events in the Life of Clara Shortridge Foltz

July 16, 1849: Born in Lafayette, Indiana.

1860-1863: Attended Howe’s Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.

1864: Taught school in Keithsburg, Mercer County, Illinois; eloped with Jeremiah Foltz.

1872: Moved to Oregon (lived in Portland and Salem).

1874: Moved to San Jose, California.

1876-77: Studied law with father, Elias Shortridge, J.C. Black, and C.C. Stevans in San Jose, California.

February 7, 1877: Delivered first public lecture; spoke on woman suffrage.

April 1, 1878: Woman Lawyers Bill enacted.

September 4, 1878: Bar examination

September 5, 1878: First woman admitted to the Bar in California. 20th District Court at San Jose.

January 9, 1879: Starts classes at Hastings after moving to San Francisco with her 3 older children; joined by Laura de Force Gordon on second day.

January 11, 1879: Letter from Hastings Registrar advising Foltz that admission to the law school is denied.

January 29, 1879: Admitted to Fourth District Court at San Francisco after examination by W.W. Cope, J.B. Lamar, and Sidney v. Smith.

February 20, 1879: Constitutional Convention passes clause guaranteeing women equal employment opportunity.

February 24, 1879: Foltz and Gordon argue Hastings case before Judge Robert Morrison.

February 26, 1879: Constitutional Convention passes clause guaranteeing equal educational opportunity for women.

March 5, 1879: wins Hastings suit. Opponents appeal.

May 1879: returns to live in San Jose, California.

November 1879: Divorce from Jeremiah; decree entered.

December 6, 1879: Admitted to California Supreme Court Bar after oral examination.

December 1879: Argues and wins Foltz v. Hoge [President of Hastings Board] 54 Cal. 28 (1879).

January 14, 1880: Leaves for Sacramento to assume duties as Clerk for State Assembly Judiciary Committee. First woman to hold position.

1880: Writes and lobbies unsuccessfully for suffrage.

1880: Moves to San Francisco with older children to practice and attend Hastings. Living at Hotel on DuPont Street.

1880: Campaigns for both the state and national Republican Party ticket. Paid political orator.

1881: Elected President of California’s Woman Suffrage Association.

February 1881: Tries Wheeler murder case for prosecution opposite Laura Gordon for defense.

May 1881: Foltz very ill. Mother comes to San Francisco to nurse her.

November 1881: moves back to San Jose but continues practice in San Francisco.

1882: Accepts Henry Cogswell as client for purpose of effecting return of property donated to the University.

January - March 1883: Lobbies in Sacramento on Cogswell Case.

1883: Moves office from 231 Montgomery Street to Phelan Building, 806 Market Street.

March - April 1883: Tries Phelps v. Cogswell, a civil false arrest case.

April 1884: Lawyers Lecture to audience of thousands at Metropolitan Hall, San Francisco.

May 12, 1884: Files affidavit in Taylor v. Bidwell case, asking for an extension of time to file brief because she has been very ill.

November 1884: Elector on the Equal Rights Ticket headed by Belva Lockwood.

July 1885: Files suit against Cogswell for a fee of $15,000.

September 1885: Lecture tour of Washington, Oregon, Utah, Chicago, Boston, and New York.

October 1886: Switches to the Democratic ticket and campaigns for Washington Bartlett for Governor.

January – February 1887: Lectures in the East.

May 1887: Moves to San Diego, California and founds the San Diego Bee - May 16, 1887.

July 1887: Named to Board of State State Normal School, first woman to hold statewide office in California.

November 1887: Sells Bee.

January 1888: Opens real estate office in San Diego, California, with partner and secretary Maria Crawford.

March 1888: Trial of Suit for her fee in San Francisco. Foltz v. Cogswell .

April 1888: Eastern lecture trip to boost San Diego.

May 21-26, 1888: Jury trial in White divorce case.

October-November 1888: Foltz and Laura Gordon are both employed as campaign orators for the Democrats in Presidential Campaign.

February 25-26, 1890: Attends the Women’s National Liberal Union Convention in Washington, DC.

March 4, 1890: Admitted to U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

1890: Resumes practice in San Francisco.

1891: Becomes the first woman Notary Public in California. Lobbies for parole and penal reform.

June 1892: Tries Elmira Starke case.

1892: Candidate of People’s Party for city attorney in San Francisco.

August 1893: Speaks at the World Columbian Exposition (World’s Fair) in Chicago, Illinois at first meeting of women lawyers, and at Congress of Jurisprudence and Law Reform.

December 1893: Organizes the Portia Law Club in San Francisco.

June to November 1894: Frequent meetings of the Portia Law Club draw much press attention.

January 1895: Testifies before the California Legislature on the constitutionality of suffrage legislation; suffragists’ efforts resulting in a statewide referendum in 1896.

February 1895: Tries Von Schmidt v. Home for Inebriates.

April 1895: Leaves on an Eastern tour.

May 7-11, 1895: Salt Lake City--guest of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Trumbo.

Mid-May to June 12, 1895: Colorado Springs. Tries Bolles v. Bolles case.

July 4, 1895: Newport, Rhode Island, with daughters at the home of James T. Kernochan.

July 10, 1895: Sails for Southampton, England with daughter Virginia.

July 21, 1895: Shipwrecked while crossing from France to England in the Channel.

September 7, 1895: Sails for New York. Arrives September 16.

February 21, 1896: Admitted to the New York Bar . Sets up an office in the Temple Court Building.

June 1896: Represents New York Woman’s Suffrage Association at the Republican Convention in St. Louis.

December 1896: Tries first criminal case in New York –prevents extradition.

January 1897: Introduces the Public Defender Bill in the New York Legislature. –Arranges simultaneous introduction in over a dozen states . June, publishes Public Defenders in The American Law Review summing up the campaign.

October 29, 1898: Announces the opening of her practice in Denver, Colorado, and begins to publish a weekly magazine, “The Mecca” in honor of woman suffrage in the state. Mr. Earl Marble and Callie Bonney Marble are co-editors.

1899: Clara Foltz Gold Mining Co. stock sales and brochure in New York City.

April 1899: Reopens San Francisco office.

1900: Campaign orator for McKinley in Presidential campaign in California and Idaho.

1901: Publishes “Oil Fields and Furnaces.” Before 1905 consolidated with National Oil Reporter, an organ of Standard Oil.

1905: Organizes the Women’s Department for United Bank and Trust Company in San Francisco, California.

1906: Moves to Los Angeles after earthquake and fire in San Francisco.

1906-1911: Organizes the Los Angeles Votes for Women Club.

1909: Foltz the first woman appointed to the California State Board of Charities and Corrections. Serves 1910-1912.

April 1910: Appointed the first female Deputy District Attorney of Los Angeles and serves from 1911 to 1913.

1911: November, woman suffrage amendment passed by voters.

1913: Specializes in probate and corporation law in Los Angeles.

1916-1918: Edits and publishes the “New American Woman Magazine” in Los Angeles.

1918: Helps to found the Woman Lawyers Club.

1920: Campaigns for brother Samuel for U.S.Senate;he served two terms from 1921 to 1932.

1921-1922: Heads the Foltz Oil Producers Syndicate.

1925: Appointed to teaching staff at the Los Angeles College of Law (later USC).

1930: Runs for governor of California.

September 2, 1934: Dies in Los Angeles, California.

Passage of Constitutional Clauses

1878- 1879 Timeline of Events at the Constitutional Convention Leading to Passage of Educational and Employment Clauses

from Babcock, Constitution-Maker at 878.

1878

October: Laura Gordon and others appear before the Committee on Suffrage.

November: Committee on Suffrage reports to Convention. Recommends future legislature may remove disabilities on account of sex (legislative empowerment).

December: First suffrage debate on the floor. Proponents led by Workingmen.

1879

January 9-11: Foltz and Gordon attend classes at Hastings College of the Law.

January 11: Women receive notice dated 1/10 that they are excluded on account of sex.

January 13-15: Convention debates woman suffrage sitting as Committee of the Whole. Led by Workingmen; Non-partisans Steele and McFarland also prominent. Defeated.

February 10: Foltz files suit for admission to law school in San Francisco District Court.

February 13: Renewed suffrage debates. Led by Non-partisan James J. Ayers.

February 14: Hastings successfully moves for a continuance of Foltz’s law suit. Legislative empowerment defeated 55 Ayes; 67 Noes.

February 15 (Saturday): Newspapers report continuance of Hastings case.

February 17 (Monday): Ringgold introduces employment clause.

February 20: Employment clause passes without debate by voice vote.

February 24: Hastings case argued.

February 25: Extensive newspaper accounts of Hastings arguments.

February 26: Education clause passes without debate. 103 Ayes; 20 Noes.

March 5: Women win Hastings case. Opinion cites Woman Lawyer's Bill and employment section of newly drafted constitution.

Public Defender Campaign

Time Line of Events Connected to the Founding of the Public Defender from Babcock, The Public Defender and the Woman’s Rights Movement—1878-1913. This is part of The Women and Social Movements Website available at http://womhist.alexanderstreet.com.

1878-1890: Foltz practices law in western courts. Sees many injustices from lack of adequate counsel for poor people accused of crime. Also concerned about prosecutorial misconduct. Conceives the idea of a public defender to match the public prosecutor.

1890: Foltz attended the founding convention of the Woman’s National Liberal Union in Washington D.C. and spoke about the Public Defender.

1892: Foltz defended James Wells in a felony trial in San Francisco. Lost verdict because of prosecutorial misconduct.

August 1893: Foltz invited to speak at the Congress of Jurisprudence and Law Reform held in connection with the World Columbian Exposition. Published speech in the Albany Law Journal.

December: Foltz won Wells case on appeal, creating a major precedent on prosecutorial misconduct.

July 1896": Foltz published article Duties of District Attorneys in Prosecutions in the Criminal Law Magazine.

January 1897: Foltz introduced the Foltz Defender Bill in the New York Legislature

June: Foltz published an article summarizing the Public Defender campaign and arguments for it in the American Law Review.

1909: Foltz appointed to the California State Board of Charities and Corrections. First woman named to post in California. Served for two years.

1910: Foltz appointed the first female Deputy District Attorney of Los Angeles. Served for two years.

1911: November: Women’s suffrage passed in California. Los Angeles adopted city charter that included possibility of a public defender.

1913: First Public Defender Office Established in Los Angeles, California.

1921: Foltz Defender Bill adopted (at County option) throughout California.