Timelines

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

Revision as of 20:07, 18 June 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: Took 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 on May 16, 1887.

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

November 1887: Sells the San Diego Bee.

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

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

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 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. In 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 becomes 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.

November 1911: 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

October 1878: Laura Gordon and others appear before the Committee on Suffrage.

November 1878: Committee on Suffrage reports to Convention. Recommends future legislature may remove disabilities on account of sex (legislative empowerment).

December 1878: First suffrage debate on the floor. Proponents led by Workingmen.

January 9-11, 1879: Foltz and Gordon attend classes at Hastings College of the Law.

January 11, 1879: Women receive notice dated 1/10 that they are excluded on account of sex.

January 13-15, 1879: Convention debates woman suffrage sitting as Committee of the Whole. Led by Workingmen; Non-partisans Steele and McFarland also prominent. Defeated.

February 10, 1879: Foltz files suit for admission to law school in San Francisco District Court.

February 13, 1879: Renewed suffrage debates. Led by Non-partisan James J. Ayers.

February 14, 1879: Hastings successfully moves for a continuance of Foltz’s law suit. Legislative empowerment defeated 55 Ayes; 67 Noes.

Saturday, February 15, 1879: Newspapers report continuance of Hastings case.

Monday, February 17, 1879: Ringgold introduces employment clause.

February 20, 1879: Employment clause passes without debate by voice vote.

February 24, 1879: Hastings case argued.

February 25, 1879: Extensive newspaper accounts of Hastings arguments.

February 26, 1879: Education clause passes without debate. 103 Ayes; 20 Noes.

March 5, 1879: Women win Hastings case. Opinion cites Woman Lawyer's Bill and employment section of newly drafted constitution.

For a Timeline of Events at the Constitutional Convention Leading to Passage of Educational and Employment Clauses from 1878 to 1879 see Babcock, Constitution-Maker at 878.

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.