Shirley Hufstedler

Shirley Hufstedler
Name	Shirley Hufstedler
Caption	Official portrait, c. 1979
Office	1st United States Secretary of Education
President	Jimmy Carter
Term start	December 6, 1979
Term end	January 20, 1981
Predecessor	Office established
Successor	Terrel Bell
Office1	Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Appointer1	Lyndon B. Johnson
Term start1	September 16, 1968
Term end1	December 5, 1979
Predecessor1	James R. Browning
Successor1	Warren J. Ferguson
Birth name	Shirley Ann Mount
Birth date	24 August 1925
Birth place	Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Death date	30 March 2016
Death place	Glendale, California, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Seth Hufstedler (m. 1949)
Education	University of New Mexico (BA), Stanford Law School (LLB)

Shirley Hufstedler was an American attorney and jurist who became a pioneering figure in the federal judiciary and the first United States Secretary of Education. Appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, she was the first woman to serve on that influential court. Her tenure as Secretary under President Jimmy Carter involved establishing the new Cabinet-level department from existing offices. Hufstedler was widely recognized for her sharp legal intellect and her role in breaking gender barriers in the legal profession.

Early life and education

Shirley Ann Mount was born in Denver, Colorado, and spent her early years in New Mexico. She demonstrated academic prowess early, graduating as valedictorian from Belen High School. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from the University of New Mexico at the age of 19. She then attended Stanford Law School, where she was one of only a few women in her class and served as an editor for the Stanford Law Review. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1949, the same year she married attorney Seth Hufstedler.

Legal career

After law school, Hufstedler faced significant discrimination but built a successful private practice in Los Angeles, specializing in civil litigation. She was appointed by California Governor Pat Brown to serve as a special consultant to review the state's tort laws. Her expertise led to her appointment as a judge on the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 1966, where she served for two years. During this period, she also taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.

Federal judicial service

In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Hufstedler to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, making her the first woman to serve on that court and, at the time, the highest-ranking female judge in the federal judiciary. Her judicial opinions were noted for their clarity and scholarly depth, covering complex areas including antitrust law, environmental law, and civil rights. She served with distinction for over a decade, earning respect from colleagues like Chief Judge James R. Browning and establishing a reputation as a formidable legal thinker.

Secretary of Education

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter selected Hufstedler to become the inaugural United States Secretary of Education, following the creation of the new department by the Department of Education Organization Act. She was confirmed by the United States Senate and led the monumental task of consolidating education programs from the former Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and other agencies. Her brief tenure focused on defining the department's mission and advocating for federal support for public education and student financial aid. She served until the end of the Carter administration.

Later life and death

After leaving Washington, D.C., Hufstedler returned to California and joined the Los Angeles law firm of Hufstedler, Kaus & Ettinger. She remained active in public service, serving on commissions such as the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution and the Independent Counsel investigation into the Iran-Contra affair known as the Lawrence Walsh probe. She also served on the board of trustees for the RAND Corporation and the Getty Trust. Hufstedler died of natural causes in Glendale, California, in 2016.

Legacy and honors

Hufstedler's legacy is that of a trailblazer who opened doors for women in law and government. She received numerous honors, including the American Bar Association's Margaret Brent Award and the Stanford Law School Alumni Award. The Shirley Hufstedler Award is presented annually by the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles. Her papers are housed at the University of Texas at Austin's Tarlton Law Library. She is remembered as a model of judicial craftsmanship and a key architect of the modern United States Department of Education.

Category:1925 births Category:2016 deaths Category:United States Secretaries of Education Category:United States federal judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson Category:American women judges