Carrie Burnham Kilgore | Philadelphia Women’s History Month All-Star

All-Star #19: Carrie Burnham Kilgore

Carrie Burnham Kilgore | Philadelphia Women’s History Month All-Star

All-Star #19: Carrie Burnham Kilgore

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TODAY'S ALL-STAR FULL 2021 ALL-STAR LIST

19

Carrie Burnham Kilgore

Lawyer / Activist

Carrie Burnham Kilgore

Lawyer / Activist

1838-1909

Carrie Burnham Kilgore was the first female lawyer in the city of Philadelphia, and first woman admitted to the bar in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Kilgore’s road to achieving that status was a long one: Penn’s law school rejected her application in 1871, and despite having her husband buy passes for her to attend lectures, the Board of Trustees ultimately told her that even if she attended every course and passed all tests, they would not guarantee her a diploma.

Still, she studied privately. When she requested the opportunity to take the bar exam in 1873 and 1874, she was denied. After a decade of lobbying, however, Kilgore was the first woman admitted to Penn’s law school, in 1881.

An advocate of women’s suffrage and member of the Citizens’ Suffrage Association, she was denied the opportunity to vote, and her appeals to the state supreme court were denied as well.


ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • First woman admitted to Penn’s Law School
  • First woman admitted to the bar in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
  • First woman lawyer in Philadelphia.
  • Published a pamphlet called Woman Suffrage. The Argument of Carrie S. Burnham
  • A residence hall at Penn is named for Burnham


FINAL WORDS:

Recognized as one of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Legends of the Bar, Penn Law School now describes her by saying: “Carrie Burnham Kilgore fought tenaciously to earn her place as a law student and practicing lawyer in Philadelphia, and her talent, ambition, and passion for the profession paved the way for future generations of Penn Law women.”


RELATED READING

From Black History Month All-Stars
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Biography
The first black female lawyer in Pennsylvania, Sadie Alexander was Philly's assistant city solicitor at when few women held city titles.
From Women's History Month All-Stars
Lucretia Mott Biography
Among many other things, Quaker feminist and abolitionist Lucretia Mott helped found the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society.
From Women's History Month All-Stars
Mary Ann M’Clintock Biography
Quaker activist Mary Ann M'Clintock was a founding member of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society, and a prominent suffrage leader.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

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