Charlotte E. Ray
Charlotte E. Ray | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 13, 1850 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 4, 1911 (aged 60) Woodside, Long Island, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Charlotte E. Fraim |
| Alma mater | Howard University, University of the District of Columbia |
| Occupation(s) | Attorney, Teacher |
| Movement | Colored Conventions Movement |
| Parents |
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Charlotte E. Ray (January 13, 1850 – January 4, 1911) was an African-American lawyer. She was the first black American female lawyer in the United States. Ray graduated from Howard University School of Law in 1872. She was also the first female admitted to the District of Columbia Bar, and the first woman admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. Her admission was used as a precedent by women in other states who sought admission to the bar.
Ray opened her own law office in Washington, D.C., advertising in a newspaper run by Frederick Douglass. However, she practiced law for only a few years because prejudice against African Americans and women made her business unsustainable. Ray eventually moved to New York, where she became a teacher in Brooklyn. She was involved in the women's suffrage movement and joined the National Association of Colored Women.