Arabella+Mansfield

=**Arabella Mansfield**=

Died: August 1, 1911 (Aurora, Illinois)
 Arabella Mansfield was born second child of Mary Moyer and Miles Babb. She was originally named Belle, but later in life changed it Arabella. Her father left for California in the middle of the gold rush. He because superintendent of the Bay State Mining Company. He died in a mine collapse in 1852.

She began college in 1862 at Iowa Weslyean College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa to study history. She graduated three years later as valedictorian of the class. She taught at Simpson College. She then returned to Mount Pleasant to marry John Mansfield.

John encouraged Arabella to study law. She started to study law at her brother's law office. In 1869, she took the bar exam to practice law. The bar exam determines whether an individual is qualified to practice law. In 1869, "individuals" were white males, over the age of 21. Amazingly, she passed the bar and became the first women lawyer in America.

Although she passed the bar exam, she never actually practiced law. In 1893, she became Dean of the School of Art at DePauw University. Then in 1894, she became Dean of the School of Music. She was also a part of the suffrage movement and joined the executive committee of the National Women's Suffrage Association. And in 1870, she chaired at the Iowa Women's Suffrage Convention. She died in 1911, 9 years before the 19th Amendment was passed.

[] [] [|http://law.jrank.org/pages/12254/Mansfield-Arabella-first-women.html] America Past and Present 8th Edition