Women in Government: Annette Abbott Adams

Born in 1877 in Prattville, California – Annette Abbott Adams was a trailblazing jurist who conquered many firsts.

Graduating from the University of California at Berkeley in 1904, Adams went on to get her law degree in 1912. She became politically active and campaigned heavily for Woodrow Wilson in 1912. Wilson appointed her an Assistant United States Attorney in California and eventually United States Attorney. After his re-election in 1916, Wilson appointed Adams the first woman United States Assistant Attorney General, a position she held until Warren Harding took office in 1921.

Adams returned to California to run for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1923. In 1942, Adams became the first woman to serve on the California Court of Appeals, where she served until she retired in 1952. In 1950, Adams won a special temporary appointment to the California Supreme Court – becoming the first woman to serve on that judicial body. Adams died in Sacramento in 1956.

Further Reading:
California Courts Biography

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