Kathryn Sellers Explained

Birth Name:	Kathryn Sellers
Office:	Head Judge of the Juvenile Court for the District of Columbia
Appointer:	Woodrow Wilson
Term Start:	1918
Term End:	1934
Birth Date:	25 December 1870
Birth Place:	Broadway, Ohio, U.S.
Death Place:	Washington, D.C., U.S.

Kathryn Sellers (December 25, 1870 – February 23, 1939) was the first woman to be appointed a federal judge in the United States. She was nominated to the head of the Juvenile Court of the District of Columbia by President Woodrow Wilson in 1918.^[1]

Biography

Sellers was born on December 25, 1870, in Broadway, Ohio.^[2] She worked as a bibliographer and librarian, and was employed by the weather bureau in Washington, D.C., and by the U.S. Department of State from 1900 to 1911.^[3] During this time Sellers became a member of the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia.^[4]

In 1918, Wilson nominated her to be head of the Juvenile Court of the District of Columbia. She was confirmed later that year, making her the first woman appointed to the federal bench. Sellers served as a judge until she resigned on February 17, 1934.^[5]

She died on February 23, 1939, at her home in Washington, D.C.

See also

• List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States

Notes and References

1. Book: Weatherford, Doris. Women in American Politics: History and Milestones. 20 January 2012. CQ Press. 978-1-60871-007-2. K360–.
2. Book: Proctor . John Clagett . Washington, Past and Present: A History . Williams . Edwin Melvin . Black . Frank P. . Lewis Historical Publishing Company . 1930 . 115 . John Clagett Proctor.
3. Book: Ohio State Bar Association. Ohio Bar: Publication of the Ohio State Bar Association. 1943. Ohio state bar association. 246.
4. Web site: WBA History. Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia. 11 September 2015.
5. News: Woman Jurist 13 Years on Bench. 26 December 2016. The Los Angeles Times. December 28, 1931.