Daisy D. Perkins

Daisy D. Perkins was Ohio’s first African American female lawyer.^[1][2]

Perkins’ father was John Perkins, a runaway slave who opened a barber shop after settling in North Baltimore, Ohio. She lost her mother at fourteen months of age.^[3] Perkins went on to attend Findlay College with the financial support of her sisters.^[4]

She relocated to Columbus, Ohio and became an autodidact in law. Her legal tutelage was provided by M.B. Earnhart, a Caucasian judge. In 1919, after having taken the bar examination seven times, she became the first African American female admitted to practice law in Ohio.^[5] Later, she became a lawyer for the Office of the Columbus Prosecutor.^[6]

See also

• List of first women lawyers and judges in Ohio