Maxine E. Ryer Miller
Maxine Evelyn Ryer (December 1, 1899 – June 12, 1930) was the first woman to study law at the University of Notre Dame and the first woman to practice law in St. Joseph County, Indiana.
Early life[edit]
M.E. Ryer was born in South Bend, Indiana on December 1, 1899, to Lester F. Ryer (1872–1937) and Violet Pearl (Hartman) Ryer (1877–1962). She had one sibling, Bernice Ryer Collmer (1898–1961).[1] Throughout her life she was referred to alternately as “Maxine” and “Evelyn.”
Ryer graduated from South Bend High School in 1916,[2] where she was active in dramatic arts and performed in the initial play given at “the first Little Theater ever opened by a high school in America.”[3] She subsequently attended Nazareth Academy in Kalamazoo, Michigan to study violin and drama.[4] By 1920 she was offering violin lessons to pupils in South Bend.[5]
Law studies and bar admission[edit]
Ryer enrolled in 1921 as the first female law student at the University of Notre Dame.[6] She also began serving as a clerk in the law office of former South Bend City Attorney Frank H. Dunnahoo.[6]
On September 12, 1922 Ryer passed an examination and became the first woman admitted to the St. Joseph County (Indiana) bar for active practice in court.[7] Bar examinations in Indiana were conducted on a local, rather than state-wide, basis until 1931.[8] Three women had previously been admitted to the local bar, but did not practice law.[9] In April 1923 she was admitted to practice before the federal courts and Supreme Court of the State of Indiana.[10] She is not included in the Student Directory at Notre Dame in 1922-23[11] and does not appear to have received a degree from the university.
Personal life and death[edit]
Ryer married Everett Miller in St. Joseph, Berrien County, Michigan on May 25, 1925.[12] She died on June 12, 1930, in South Bend, Indiana, of heart disease.[13][14] She did not have any children.
References[edit]
- ^ 1880 U.S. census, St. Joseph County, Portage Township, Indiana, E.D. 136, sheet 9, dwelling 167, family 192, Lester Ryer household.
- ^ "Class of 147 To Receive Diplomas". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. May 26, 1916. p. 9.
- ^ "Little Theater Is Now Open To Public". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. December 4, 1915. p. 8.
- ^ "Society News-Personal Mentions". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. September 6, 1916. p. 5.
- ^ "Advertisements". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. October 1, 1920. p. 8.
- ^ a b "Is Admitted To St. Joseph Bar". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. September 9, 1922. p. 5.
- ^ "Miss Maxine Ryer To Practice Law In County Courts". South Bend (Indiana) News-Times. September 13, 1922. p. 10.
- ^ Oare, Lenn J. (1932). "The Genesis of Bar Examinations in Indiana". Notre Dame Law Review. 7: 70–80.
- ^ "Women At The Bar". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. September 17, 1922. p. 22.
- ^ "Recognized Despite Sex". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. April 15, 1923. p. 8.
- ^ "University of Notre Dame Student Directory, 1922-1923" (PDF).
- ^ Michigan Department of Community Health, Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics. Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952; film 180, record 549.
- ^ "First Woman Lawyer at South Bend Is Dead". Chicago Tribune. June 14, 1930. p. 18.
- ^ "Mrs. Miller, 30, Attorney, Dies". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. June 13, 1930. p. 18.