Charlotte E. Ray’s Brief But Historic Career as the First U.S. Black Woman Attorney

“Martha Gadley’s marriage was a nightmare. When her husband drank, he turned increasingly violent. One night, he used an ax to chop a hole in the floor and threatened to push her into the room below. He refused to bring her water when she was sick. When she left the house, he nailed up the entrance and put padlocks on the door.

Martha had had enough. She decided to file for divorce—a gutsy move for an illiterate black woman. But it was 1875, and the law cared little about domestic violence. Her petition was turned down and her case dismissed. So she took the unusual move of taking her divorce to a higher court—and found a champion in an equally unusual attorney, Charlotte E. Ray.

Ray wasn’t just any lawyer. She was one of just a handful of women who practiced law in the United States. She wasn’t just one of the first female lawyers, either: She is thought to be the country’s first black woman lawyer. In a vividly wordedpetition, Ray took Martha’s plea to the District of Columbia Supreme Court, and managed to score a rare victory on Martha’s behalf.”