Ruth Williams Cupp

Ruth Cupp (née Williams; December 16, 1928 – July 9, 2016) was an American lawyer, legislator, judge, and author in South Carolina. She was the first woman admitted to the Charleston County Bar Association. She served as an associate probate judge, and was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. She was also a columnist for Charleston's The Post and Courier.

Early life Williams was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on December 16, 1928, to Eva Lou and Ollie Williams. She had two sisters, Eddie Lou Garvin and Patsy Williams Hughes Mizell, and one brother, Ray Williams. In 1941, she and her family moved to North Charleston, South Carolina. She said that the law school would admit only one female student per entering class, but also that she got along well with her male classmates. South Carolina would be the second to last state to allow women to serve on juries in 1967, with Mississippi being the last in 1968. She stated that her time "serving in the General Assembly gave [her] a good understanding of how the lobbying process works." She later said that she considered this endeavor and achievement her "biggest contribution" in her life to Winthrop. In the foreword to the book, Cupp wrote: "While I was not born here, my heart and soul were." She later commented, "I did not know until I arrived that I was the first female to attend [the Charleston County Bar], and I did not know until almost 50 years later that a senior member objected to my presence." She also chaired the South Carolina Children's Bureau.

Awards and honors In 2015, the Charleston County Bar honored Cupp with the James Louis Petigru Award. The Bar's highest award is not given annually but at the discretion of the association's standing committee for demonstrating sterling principles as a lawyer. Cupp said about receiving the award: I would say that the comradery at this Bar is superior to any other Bar group anywhere. When I graduated from law school in 1954, my class was the last new group that had to stand before the South Carolina Supreme Court and swear we would not settle any disputes by dueling. During my 61 years practicing law, I am pleased to say I have never settled one dispute against a fellow attorney by dueling.

Works Cupp authored three books. Portia Steps up to the Bar is about the history of South Carolina women lawyers. Cupp said she owed her success to those that came before her. Attorneys from Charles Town to Charleston is about the history of Charleston lawyers. Miracles on St. Margaret Street discusses the history of the Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina; Cupp was involved with this organization, which assisted single expectant women.

Personal life Cupp's sister, Patsy Williams Hughes Mizell, followed her lead entering politics and becoming the first woman elected to the North Charleston City Council in 1974 and the only woman to serve in the office during her 21 years. Cupp traveled extensively, going with family to England, Spain, and Ireland, as well as traveling on her own to Antarctica, Tibet, and India; late in her life, her favorite destination was Oxford and she would travel there yearly well into her 80s. Cupp died on July 9, 2016. Her funeral was held at St. Michael's Episcopal Church, one of the Four Corners of Law in downtown Charleston.