Shirley Hufstedler
Shirley Hufstedler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st United States Secretary of Education | |
| In office November 30, 1979 – January 20, 1981 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Terrel Bell |
| Judge of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | |
| In office September 12, 1968 – November 30, 1979 | |
| Nominated by | Lyndon Johnson |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | Robert Boochever |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 24, 1925 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | University of New Mexico Stanford University |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Shirley Ann Mount Hufstedler (born August 24, 1925) is an American lawyer who served as the first United States Secretary of Education, under President Jimmy Carter.
Biography
Shirley Mount Hufstedler was born August 24, 1925 in Denver, Colorado. She attended the University of New Mexico (B.B.A. 1945) and Stanford Law School (LL.B. 1949).
Hufstedler has had a distinguished career at the highest levels of legal and public service. She began in private practice in Los Angeles in 1950. From 1960 to 1961, she served as Special Legal Consultant to the Attorney General of California in the complex Colorado River litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1961, she was appointed Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, a position to which she was elected in 1962.
In 1966, she was appointed Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal. President Lyndon Johnson appointed her Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1968. She was not the first woman to serve on a federal Court of Appeals, but for at least part of her tenure was the only woman serving among approximately 100 judges nationwide. She was often mentioned as a possible nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court and served for eleven years before President Jimmy Carter appointed her to be the first U.S. Secretary of Education.
In 1981, Hufstedler returned to private life, teaching and practicing law. She was a partner in the firm Hufstedler & Kaus, now merged into Morrison & Foerster. She is the recipient of 20 honorary doctoral degrees from American universities. She has served on boards of trustees, governing boards and visiting committees for numerous foundations, institutions, corporations and universities.
Hufstedler was considered to be a candidate for the Supreme Court if a vacancy had occurred under a Jimmy Carter Presidency.[1]
See also
References
- ^ Biskupic, Joan (2005). Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice. Ecco Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-06-059018-5.
External links
- Shirley Hufstedler at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
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- American politician stubs
- 1925 births
- American women judges
- California state court judges
- Carter administration personnel
- Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Living people
- People from Denver, Colorado
- Stanford Law School alumni
- United States court of appeals judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson
- United States Secretaries of Education
- University of New Mexico alumni
- Women members of the Cabinet of the United States