About Ella Mae Backus
Lived 1863 – 1938 (aged 74–75). Ella Mae Backus was an American lawyer.
Ella Mae Backus (1863–1938) was an American lawyer who became the first female Assistant U.S. Attorney in the State of Michigan, and the first female attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan. At the time, she was one of only six female attorneys in the entire Department of Justice. Backus was originally employed as a stenographer in Traverse City, Michigan from 1891 to 1895. In 1895, she became a lawyer.
Hired to work in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan in 1903, by 1923 Backus was promoted to Assistant Attorney in the office. She would work there until her death in 1938. She was also the first woman in the Grand Rapids Bar Association.
She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2017.
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Important facts
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Ella Mae Backus?
American lawyer
When was Ella Mae Backus born?
Ella Mae Backus was born in 1863 in Arcadia.
When did Ella Mae Backus die?
Ella Mae Backus died on 28 July 1938 in Grand Rapids.
What was Ella Mae Backus's occupation?
Ella Mae Backus was a lawyer.
What nationality was Ella Mae Backus?
Ella Mae Backus was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ella Mae Backus. https://biography.guide/ella-mae-backus/
MLA: "Ella Mae Backus." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ella-mae-backus/.
Chicago: "Ella Mae Backus." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ella-mae-backus/.
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