Mary Leonard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Leonard
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| Born | circa 1845 |
| Died | October 24, 1912 |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Spouse(s) | Daniel Leonard |
Mary Leonard (born around 1845 – died October 24, 1912) was a pioneering American lawyer. She was born in France and later became the first woman lawyer allowed to practice law in the Washington Territory and in the state of Oregon. Her journey to becoming a lawyer was an important step for women in the legal field.
Early Life and Moves
Marie Gysin was born in Alsace, France, around 1845. Her parents, Johannes Gysin and Elisabeth Grieder, were from Switzerland and worked in a silk factory. Marie was their second oldest child.
After some years, her family moved back to Switzerland, to an area called Basel. Around 1870, Marie moved to the United States and changed her name to Mary Gisan. Some stories say she moved to help her family financially, while others say she wanted to make her own way in the world.
By the 1870s, she was living in Portland, Oregon. She likely worked as a maid for a family there. In 1873, her younger sister Rosa also came to America and joined Mary in Portland in 1874. Mary then worked as a seamstress until she married Daniel Leonard in May 1875.
Becoming a Lawyer
Mary Leonard began studying law in Portland in the early 1880s. In 1883, the Washington Territory passed a law that gave women the right to vote. That same year, Leonard moved to Seattle. There, she started learning law by "reading law" (studying under an experienced lawyer) with J. C. Haines.
In October 1884, she passed the bar exam, which is a test lawyers must pass. She was then allowed to practice law in Washington courts on March 11, 1885. This made Mary Leonard the very first woman lawyer in Washington's history. However, she returned to Portland before she could practice law in Washington.
On March 18, the Oregon Supreme Court did not allow her to practice law in Oregon. The court said that Oregon's law only allowed men to be lawyers and that the state legislature needed to change the law. But on March 27, a federal judge named Matthew Deady allowed Leonard to practice in the federal courts in Oregon.
In November, the Oregon Legislative Assembly passed a new law. Mary Leonard supported this law, which changed the rules to allow women to become lawyers. Governor Zenas Ferry Moody signed this bill into law on November 20. Finally, on April 13, 1886, the Oregon Supreme Court admitted her to the state bar. She became Oregon's first female lawyer. The court tried to make her wait a year, but she successfully argued that this rule had never been used before, and so they allowed her to practice.
Later Life and Legacy
After becoming a lawyer, Mary Leonard started her own law practice in Portland. She was known for being a strong speaker in court. She mostly helped people with legal problems in the local police courts. She even liked to be called "Judge Mary A. Leonard."
Being a lawyer was not always easy financially for her, so she also ran a boardinghouse to earn more money.
In 1897, she was involved in a legal case where she was found not guilty of certain charges. She continued to practice law in Portland until June 1912.
Mary Leonard passed away at Multnomah County Hospital on October 24, 1912, due to heart disease. Her body was given to the University of Oregon Medical School (now part of Oregon Health & Science University). Sadly, records of where she was buried were lost in a fire. Today, a chapter of the Oregon Women Lawyers’ group in Marion County is named in her honor, celebrating her important role in legal history.
