Geraldine_Macelwane

Geraldine Macelwane

Geraldine Macelwane

American judge

Geraldine Macelwane (1909–1974) was the first woman judge on the Lucas County Common Pleas Court in Ohio.[1]

Biography

Geraldine F. Connell was born in 1909 in Detroit, Michigan to Jeremiah and Mary Connell. The family moved to Toledo, Ohio, in 1924.[2][3] She graduated from high school in 1926 and became a statistical clerk for the Wambash Railroad until she lost the position during the Great Depression.[2][4] She was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1932 before receiving her degree from the University of Toledo.[2] In 1938, she married architect John P. Macelwane, with whom she had two daughters.[4]

In 1937, Macelwane became a prosecutor for Lucas County, specializing in child neglect cases. She was elected to the Toledo Municipal Court as the first woman judge in 1952.[2] In 1956, she was appointed to the Lucas County Common Pleas Court by Governor Frank Lausche, a position she held until her death in 1974.[2][5] By 1958, she had an all-woman court staff; her clerks included Marigene Valiquette and Mary Ann Fackelman.[6][7] As a judge, she developed the individual docket system and jury instructions.[1]

Macelwane died of a heart attack on December 9, 1974.[8] She was posthumously inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 1993.[9]

Reference section

  1. [1]
    "GERALDINE FRANCES MACELWANE". Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  2. [2]
    Floyd, Barbara L. (2016-03-28). Legendary Locals of Toledo. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-5515-3.
  3. [3]
    "Geraldine Macelwane Recognized for 13-year Battle for Happy Homes". Toledo Times. December 28, 1950. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  4. [4]
    "Makes Success of Career, Family". The Toledo Times. February 13, 1950. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  5. [5]
    "OMNIA - Judge Geraldine Macelwane Scrapbook". www.omnia.ie. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  6. [6]
    "Clipped From The News-Messenger". The News-Messenger. 1959-06-23. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  7. [7]
    In Search of Our Past: Women of Northwest Ohio. Roles & Achievements Committee Women Alive! Committee YMCA. 1987. pp. 34–36.
  8. [8]
    "Clipped From The Press-Gazette". The Press-Gazette. 1974-12-10. p. 4. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  9. [9]
    "Clipped From News-Journal". News-Journal. 1993-10-14. p. 28. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
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