Jane M. Bolin was the 1st African American woman graduate of Yale Law School & the first black female judge in the United States. She ran unsuccessfully for the New York State Assembly as the Republican candidate in the seventeenth district in 1936. She then joined New York City's legal department, serving as Assistant Corporation Counsel.
She's pictured here in July 1939 after her appointment by NYC Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. Judge
Bolin retired in 1979 after 40 yrs on the Bench (only because she reached the mandatory age).
She passed away in 2007 at age 98.
