Shirley Hufstedler

Shirley Hufstedler
1st United States Secretary of Education
In office November 30, 1979 – January 20, 1981
President	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Terrel Bell
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
In office September 12, 1968 – November 30, 1979
Appointed by	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	Robert Boochever
Personal details
Born	Shirley Ann Mount August 24, 1925 Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Died	March 30, 2016 (aged 90) Glendale, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Seth Hufstedler
Alma mater	University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Stanford University

Shirley Ann Mount Hufstedler (August 24, 1925 – March 30, 2016) was an American lawyer and judge who served as the first United States Secretary of Education, under President Jimmy Carter. At the time of her secretarial appointment, she was the highest ranking woman in the federal judiciary.

Biography

Shirley Mount Hufstedler was born August 24, 1925 in Denver, Colorado.^[1] As a teenager she was befriended by famed war correspondent Ernie Pyle after her father built the Pyle house in Albuquerque.^[2] She attended the University of New Mexico (B.B.A. 1945) and Stanford Law School (LL.B. 1949).^[1][3]

Hufstedler had a distinguished career at the highest levels of legal and public service. She began in private practice in Los Angeles in 1950. From 1960 to 1961, she served as Special Legal Consultant to the Attorney General of California in the complex Colorado River litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court.^[4] In 1961, she was appointed Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court,^[1] a position to which she was elected in 1962.

In 1966, she was appointed Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal.^[1] President Lyndon Johnson appointed her Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1968.^[1] She was not the first woman to serve on a federal Court of Appeals; but, for at least part of her tenure, she was the only woman serving among approximately 100 judges nationwide. She served on the Court of Appeals for eleven years before President Jimmy Carter appointed her to be the first U.S. Secretary of Education in 1979.^[4]

In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Hufstedler's name and picture.^[5]

In 1981, Hufstedler returned to private life, teaching and practicing law. She was a partner in the firm Hufstedler & Kaus, now merged into Morrison & Foerster. She was the recipient of 20 honorary doctoral degrees from American universities. She served on boards of trustees, governing boards and visiting committees for numerous foundations, institutions, corporations and universities.

Hufstedler was considered to be a candidate for the Supreme Court if a vacancy had occurred under the Jimmy Carter presidency.^[6][7] On March 30, 2016, Hufstedler died in Glendale, California, from cerebrovascular disease at the age of 90.^[8][9]

See also

• Presidency of Jimmy Carter
• Jimmy Carter Supreme Court candidates

References

1. Sobel, Robert (1990). Biographical Directory of the United States Executive Branch, 1774-1989. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-313-26593-8.
2. Connell, Christopher (May 4, 1980). "Education chief background rich". Tuscaloosa News. AP.
3. "Ms Shirley Mount Hufstedler, Attorney". Lawyer.com. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
4. Vile, John R. (2003). Great American Judges: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 558. ISBN 978-1-57607-989-8.
5. Wulf, Steve (2015-03-23). "Supersisters: Original Roster". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
6. Newman, Roger K. (2009). The Yale Biographical Dictionary of American Law. Yale University Press. p. 277. ISBN 978-0-300-11300-6.
7. Biskupic, Joan (2005). Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice. Ecco Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-06-059018-5.
8. Bloomberg Shirley Hufstedler, first US Education Secretary dies at 90
9. "Shirley Hufstedler, Pioneering Judge and First Cabinet-Level Education Secretary, Is Dead at 90". The New York Times.com. March 31, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.

External links

• Morrison & Foerster: Shirley M. Hufstedler
• Oral History of Shirley M. Hufstedler, series of interviews with Hufstedler conducted from 2005 to 2008, sponsored by the American Bar Association
• "While Husband Seth Marks Her Absent, Shirley Hufstedler Attends to Birth of D.O.E", People article published April 28, 1980

• Shirley Hufstedler at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Shirley Hufstedler at Find a Grave