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Jane Matilda Bolin

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Jane Matilda Bolin Famous memorial

Birth
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York, USA
Death
8 Jan 2007 (aged 98)
Long Island City, Queens County, New York, USA
Burial
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York, USA Add to Map
Plot
Lot 161 Section 19 Grave 8
Memorial ID
View Source
Jurist. She was the first black woman to become a judge in the United States. Judge Bolin was the first black woman to graduate from Yale Law School, the first to join the New York City Bar Association, and the first to work in the office of the New York City corporation counsel, the city's legal department. Her father, Gaius C. Bolin, was the son of an American Indian woman and an African-American man. Her mother, the former Matilda Emery, was a white Englishwoman. She attended Wellesley College, where she was one of two black freshmen. At her graduation in 1928, she was named a Wellesley Scholar, a distinction given to the top 20 students of the class. At Yale Law School, Ms. Bolin was one of three women in her class and the only black person. In 1937 she was hired by the NYC Corporation Counsel. In 1939 she was appointed a Family Court Judge by Mayor LaGuardia for a 10 year term. She was reappointed to 10 year terms by Mayors O'Dwyer, Wagner and Lindsay. She served until 1978 when she reached the mandatory retirement age of 70. After her retirement, she was a volunteer reading instructor in New York City public schools for two years, and was appointed to the Regents Review Committee of the New York State Board of Regents. Judge Bolin is survived by her son, Yorke Mizelle.
Jurist. She was the first black woman to become a judge in the United States. Judge Bolin was the first black woman to graduate from Yale Law School, the first to join the New York City Bar Association, and the first to work in the office of the New York City corporation counsel, the city's legal department. Her father, Gaius C. Bolin, was the son of an American Indian woman and an African-American man. Her mother, the former Matilda Emery, was a white Englishwoman. She attended Wellesley College, where she was one of two black freshmen. At her graduation in 1928, she was named a Wellesley Scholar, a distinction given to the top 20 students of the class. At Yale Law School, Ms. Bolin was one of three women in her class and the only black person. In 1937 she was hired by the NYC Corporation Counsel. In 1939 she was appointed a Family Court Judge by Mayor LaGuardia for a 10 year term. She was reappointed to 10 year terms by Mayors O'Dwyer, Wagner and Lindsay. She served until 1978 when she reached the mandatory retirement age of 70. After her retirement, she was a volunteer reading instructor in New York City public schools for two years, and was appointed to the Regents Review Committee of the New York State Board of Regents. Judge Bolin is survived by her son, Yorke Mizelle.

Bio by: Eamonn



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  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Originally Created by: Eamonn
  • Added: Jan 10, 2007
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17378984/jane_matilda-bolin: accessed ), memorial page for Jane Matilda Bolin (11 Apr 1908–8 Jan 2007), Find a Grave Memorial ID 17378984, citing Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery, Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.