Angela Acuna Braun, who lived from October 2, 1888, to October 10, 1983, was a Costa Rican lawyer and diplomat regarded as the first woman to graduate as a lawyer in Central America. Born in Cartago, she earned a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1916 and obtained her licentiate with honors in 1925, becoming the first female trial lawyer in Central America, and in 1923 she founded the Liga Feminista Costarricense, the Costa Rican Feminist League. She represented Costa Rica on the Inter-American Commission of Women from 1941 to 1954, was appointed her country first woman ambassador to the Organization of American States in 1958, and became a founding member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 1960, serving until 1972; her advocacy is credited as a contributing factor when Costa Rican women won full citizenship and voting rights in 1949, and in 1982 she was recognized as a Benemerita de la Patria for service to her country.
Facts
Nationality / Jurisdiction Place of Death Classification
Field of Law Role
Role (category) Role (category) FAQs
How did Ángela Acuña Braun win the right for women to practise law in Costa Rica?
She proposed a civil code reform that Costa Rica adopted in 1916.
After she graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1916, women could hold the degree but legislation barred them from practising. Acuña presented the Costa Rican Congress with a proposal for reforming the civil code, and the executive signed it on 7 June 1916. Known as the Angelita Acuña Law, Decree 11 of the Congress allowed women to be legal proxies, serve as procuradores and be witnesses.
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In Legal System
Source Wikidata: Angela Acuna Braun
Additional Source Ángela Acuña Braun (Wikipedia)Wikipedia category: 20th-century Costa Rican women lawyers
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Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Source Wikidata: Angela Acuna Braun
Sources
1. Ángela Acuña Braun (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIntroduction, gender
Orphaned at the age of 12, she was raised by her maternal aunt and uncle, attending elementary school and beginning high school in Costa Rica.
Full article, field of law
Her legal specialty was in international human rights law, including the protection of women and children.
In Legal System: Law of Costa Rica, Wikipedia category: 20th-century Costa Rican women lawyers
Category:20th-century Costa Rican women lawyers
View the Source 2. Wikidata: Angela Acuna Braun
Wikidata Q19606386, occupation/position claims
occupation/position claim resolves to: Lawyer and Diplomat
Wikidata Q19606386, P27 country of citizenship claim
P27 (country of citizenship): Costa Rica
Wikidata Q19606386, P569 date of birth claim (year)
P569 (date of birth): 1888
Wikidata Q19606386, P569 date of birth claim (full date)
P569 (date of birth): 1888-10-02
Wikidata Q19606386, P570 date of death claim (year)
P570 (date of death): 1983
Wikidata Q19606386, P570 date of death claim (full date)
P570 (date of death): 1983-10-10
Wikidata Q19606386, P19 place of birth claim
P19 (place of birth): Cartago
Wikidata Q19606386, P20 place of death claim
P20 (place of death): San José
Wikidata Q19606386, P1477 birth name claim (es)
birth name (P1477): Ángela Adela Acuña Braun
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