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Sophie Friedman planting a tree in celebration of the opening
of the Natchez Trail in Natchez, Mississippi; undated
Sophie Friedman was born in Austria-Hungary in 1878. She graduated Memphis (Tennessee) University of Law, 1922 and became the first woman to practice law in Natchez, Mississippi. She was a member of the Tennessee State Supreme Court, the Federal District Court, and the Circuit Court of Appeals. She was also a state officer of the National Association of Women Lawyers and served as delegate to the State Democratic Convention in 1936. Friedman was a member of the Women's Congress at Memphis, the League of Nations Association for Tennessee, the League of Women Voters, and many other women's legal and civic organizations. She was also involved in international relations, peace, and the welfare of women and children. She sponsored several bills for social legislation in the General Assembly of Tennessee and was active in ratification of Tennessee for Universal Women's Suffrage.
The Sophie Friedman Papers include correspondence, drafts of legislative bills, photographs, clippings, articles and reports documenting Friedman's work as a lawyer in Tennessee and her work for women's suffrage in the state; her crusade for uniform marriage and divorce laws; and for child welfare, adult education, social hygiene and international friendship. Included is material relating to her defense of Octavia Dockery and Richard Dana in the famous "Goat Castle case" in Natchez, Mississippi (1930s).
The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.
This collection has not been fully processed.
Copyright to unpublished materials may be owned by the creator, or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.
Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:
Sophie Friedman Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.