Shirley Hufstedler
Encyclopedia
Shirley Ann Mount Hufstedler (born August 24, 1925) is an American lawyer who served as the first United States Secretary of Education
, under President
Jimmy Carter
.
. She attended the University of New Mexico
(B.B.A. 1945) and Stanford Law School
(LL.B. 1949).
Hufstedler has 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. In 1961, she was appointed Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, a position to which she was elected in 1962.
In 1966, she was appointed Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal
. President Lyndon Johnson appointed her Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1968. She was not the first woman to serve on a federal Court of Appeals, but for at least part of her tenure was the only woman serving among approximately 100 judges nationwide. She was often mentioned as a possible nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court and served for eleven years before President Jimmy Carter appointed her to be the first U.S. Secretary of Education.
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 is the recipient of 20 honorary doctoral degrees from American universities. She has 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 a Jimmy Carter Presidency.
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United States Secretary of Education
The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet, and 16th in line of United States presidential line of succession...
, under President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
.
Biography
Shirley Mount Hufstedler was born August 24, 1925 in Denver, ColoradoDenver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. She attended the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
(B.B.A. 1945) and Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...
(LL.B. 1949).
Hufstedler has had a distinguished career at the highest levels of legal and public service. She began in private practice in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1950. From 1960 to 1961, she served as Special Legal Consultant to the Attorney General of California in the complex Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1961, she was appointed Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, a position to which she was elected in 1962.
In 1966, she was appointed Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal
California Court of Appeal
The California Courts of Appeal are the state intermediate appellate courts in the U.S. state of California. The state is geographically divided into six appellate districts...
. President Lyndon Johnson appointed her Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1968. She was not the first woman to serve on a federal Court of Appeals, but for at least part of her tenure was the only woman serving among approximately 100 judges nationwide. She was often mentioned as a possible nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court and served for eleven years before President Jimmy Carter appointed her to be the first U.S. Secretary of Education.
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 is the recipient of 20 honorary doctoral degrees from American universities. She has 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
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
if a vacancy had occurred under a Jimmy Carter Presidency.
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