Annette Abbott Adams
Encyclopedia
Annette Abbott Adams was an American
lawyer and judge.
, Adams was educated at the Chico State Normal School
and the University of California
, where she obtained her undergraduate degree in 1904, and her law degree in 1912. Before beginning her legal career, she taught grammar school and was one of the first female school principals in California, at Modoc County High School, in Alturas.
In 1912, she was admitted to the State Bar of California
. She campaigned for Woodrow Wilson
in California, and was rewarded after his election with an appointment as an Assistant United States Attorney
in the Northern District of California, 1914–1919. In 1918–1920 she was attorney in the same district. In 1920 she was appointed as the first female Assistant Attorney General of the United States, an office which she resigned in 1921.
Adams ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
in 1923. She had a successful private law practice until 1935, when she was appointed Assistant Special Counsel of U.S. Oil litigation. In 1942, California Governor Culbert Olson
appointed her as Presiding Justice of the California Court of Appeal for the Third District in Sacramento
. That court was, at the time, one of four intermediate appellate courts in California--intermediate, that is, between the trial courts located in every county, and the California Supreme Court. As the Presiding Justice for the Third District, Justice Adams was thus one of the four highest-ranking judges in the state after the Justices of the Supreme Court. She won election to a twelve-year term on the court of appeal later in 1942, but retired in 1952 for health reasons. In her time on the court, she wrote over 350 opinions. In 1950, she served by special assignment on one case in the California Supreme Court, becoming the first woman to sit on that court (Gardner v. Jonathon Club (1950) 35 Cal.2d 343)
Adams died at her home in Sacramento in 1956.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer and judge.
Biography
Born Annette Grace Abbot in Prattville, CaliforniaPrattville, California
Prattville is a census-designated place in Plumas County, California, United States. The population was 33 at the 2010 census, up from 28 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Prattville is located at ....
, Adams was educated at the Chico State Normal School
California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the twenty-three-campus California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...
and the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, where she obtained her undergraduate degree in 1904, and her law degree in 1912. Before beginning her legal career, she taught grammar school and was one of the first female school principals in California, at Modoc County High School, in Alturas.
In 1912, she was admitted to the State Bar of California
State Bar of California
The State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline...
. She campaigned for Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
in California, and was rewarded after his election with an appointment as an Assistant United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
in the Northern District of California, 1914–1919. In 1918–1920 she was attorney in the same district. In 1920 she was appointed as the first female Assistant Attorney General of the United States, an office which she resigned in 1921.
Adams ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco, California, United States.-Government and politics:...
in 1923. She had a successful private law practice until 1935, when she was appointed Assistant Special Counsel of U.S. Oil litigation. In 1942, California Governor Culbert Olson
Culbert Olson
Culbert Levy Olson was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, Olson was involved in Utah and California politics and was elected as the 29th Governor of California from 1939 to 1943.-Personal background:...
appointed her as Presiding Justice of the California Court of Appeal for the Third District in Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
. That court was, at the time, one of four intermediate appellate courts in California--intermediate, that is, between the trial courts located in every county, and the California Supreme Court. As the Presiding Justice for the Third District, Justice Adams was thus one of the four highest-ranking judges in the state after the Justices of the Supreme Court. She won election to a twelve-year term on the court of appeal later in 1942, but retired in 1952 for health reasons. In her time on the court, she wrote over 350 opinions. In 1950, she served by special assignment on one case in the California Supreme Court, becoming the first woman to sit on that court (Gardner v. Jonathon Club (1950) 35 Cal.2d 343)
Adams died at her home in Sacramento in 1956.