Florence Ellinwood Allen

Florence Ellinwood Allen, who lived from March 23, 1884, to September 12, 1966, was an American judge who achieved two firsts in the history of the federal and state judiciary. In 1922 she became the first woman to serve on a state supreme court when she joined the Ohio Supreme Court, and in 1934, after being nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she became the first woman to serve as an Article III federal judge when she was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She served on that court from 1934 to 1959, including a term as its chief judge from 1958 to 1959. Beyond her judicial career, Allen was an advocate for women's rights and a committed pacifist who worked for disarmament and international peace; she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2005.