Charlotte E. Ray
Charlotte E. Ray (January 13, 1850 - January 4, 1911) was the
first black woman lawyer. Ray was born in New York City where her
father the Reverend Charles Bennett Ray was a prominent
abolitionist. During her childhood she attended the Institution for
the Education of Colored Youth in Washington, D.C. which was one of
the few schools African American women could attend. In 1869 she
was both a teacher and a student at Howard University. While
teaching at Howard, she registered in the Law Department; aware of
the school's questionable policy on admitting women, she applied
under the name of "C.E. Ray" and was admitted. In the law school
she specialized in commercial law, and graduated in February of
1872 and was the first woman to graduate from the Howard Law
School.
Ray was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar on April 23,
1872. Soon after her admission to the bar, she was forced to give
up her practice due to poor business, and by 1879 had returned to
New York where she worked as a teacher.
Source: Wikipedia