Violette Neatley Anderson

Violette Neatley Anderson (July 16, 1882 – December 24, 1937) became the first African-American woman to practice law before the United States Supreme Court on January 29, 1926. She was one of the most prominent advocates of a landmark piece of legislation that helped secure rights and economic mobility for sharecroppers in the South, the Bankhead-Jones Act.

Early life and education

Violette Neatley Anderson was born in London in 1882 to a German mother and a West Indian father. She moved to Chicago with her family as a small child.

Career Anderson opened her own private practice after graduating. She went on to serve as the first female City Prosecutor for Chicago from 1922 to 1923. On January 29, 1926, she was the first Black woman to be admitted to practice for the Supreme Court of the United States. Additionally, by becoming one of the first Black woman to graduate from law school in Illinois, she also became the first African-American woman admitted to practice by examination by the state board of examiners, the first African-American woman admitted to practice before the Supreme Court, the first woman to engage in her own active law practice in the state of Illinois, the first African-American woman admitted to the United States District Court, Eastern Division of Illinois, the first African-American woman appointed to the position of assistant prosecuting attorney in Chicago, and the first African-American vice-president of the Cook County Bar Association (1920–1926).

Group membership Anderson was a member of the Federal Colored Women's Clubs and the League of Women Voters. She served as president of Friendly Big Sisters League of Chicago, the first vice-president of Cook County Bar Association, and secretary of the Idlewild Lot Owners Association. She also served as an executive board member of the Chicago Council of Social Agencies.

Zeta Phi Beta She is known for her work with the sorority Zeta Phi Beta. Before becoming the 8th Grand Basileus, she was a member. Before she died, she donated her summer home in Idlewild to the sorority. The organization recognizes her every year in the month of April on "Violette Anderson Day". No other black Greek-lettered organization (one of the Divine nine) had ever held a national convention south of the Mason-Dixon line. This was a notable success, acknowledging the fact that the meeting was held in the black business sector of downtown Houston. Meals had to be provided by the YWCA cafeteria, as there were no restaurants available to blacks in downtown Houston. She also helped house various delegates, members, and friends during the conference.