The San Francisco Call, California, September 16, 1893

Wikipedia says that: Clara Shortridge Foltz (July 16, 1849 – September 2, 1934) was the first female lawyer on the West Coast, and pioneered the idea of the public defender.

Foltz wanted to take the bar examination but California law at the time allowed only white males to become members of the bar. Foltz authored a state bill which replaced “white male” with “person,” and in September 1878 she passed the examination and was the first woman admitted to the California bar.