Stephanie Kulp Seymour

Stephanie Seymour
Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
In office January 1, 1994 – December 31, 2000
Preceded by	Monroe McKay
Succeeded by	Deanell Tacha
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
In office November 2, 1979 – October 16, 2005
Appointed by	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	Jerome Holmes
Personal details
Born	October 16, 1940 Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S.
Alma mater	Smith College Harvard University

Stephanie Kulp Seymour (born October 16, 1940 in Battle Creek, Michigan) is a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Early life and education

Seymour was born in Battle Creek, MI in 1940, the second oldest of four children. Seymour and her family traveled extensively when she was young, visiting all but three states by car by the time she went to college. Though both of her parents did not have a college education, they strongly influenced Stephanie to obtain the highest level of education possible.^[1] Seymour received a B.A. from Smith College in 1962, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude, and her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1965.^[2][3] At Harvard Law School, she was one of 23 women in a class of 550.^[3] Seymour met her husband and moved to Oklahoma with him, where she had her first job in Tulsa, OK.

Career

Prior to joining the federal bench, Seymour was in private practice for fifteen years in Boston, Houston, and Tulsa.^[2] In Houston, TX, Seymour was the first woman hired by Baker Botts. Seymour moved to Singapore for her husband's job and by the end of the year, they were divorced. She soon came back to the U.S. where she went to work full time at another law firm and met her current husband, Tom Seymour. They married in 1972.

Judicial service

Seymour was nominated to the Tenth Circuit by President Jimmy Carter on August 28, 1979, to a new seat created by Congress.^[2] She was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 31, 1979.^[2] Seymour served as Chief Judge of the Tenth Circuit from 1994–2000.^[2] Seymour was the first woman judge on the Tenth Circuit and also the first woman Chief Judge of the circuit.^[3] She left the Chief judgeship in 2000. Judge Seymour assumed senior status on October 16, 2005.^[2]

References

1. Nykolaiszyn, Juliana (May 24, 2011). "Oral history interview with Stephanie Kulp Seymour". Inductees of the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Oral History Project. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
2. Stephanie Kulp Seymour at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
3. Smith College Rally Day: Honors, Hats and a Secret Revealed, Smith College News Release (September 10, 2009).