Madge Bradley

Madge Bradley (November 14, 1904–March 21, 2000) was an American attorney and former judge. Bradley served as San Diego's first female judge and was the first and only woman to serve on the bench in San Diego during her long career.[1] She lived in San Diego County from six years of age until her death in 2000.[2]

Early life and education

Bradley was born on November 14, 1904, in Ukiah, California, where her parents operated a wine grape farm. She was the second-oldest of four children.[3] When she was six years old, her parents moved to Oceanside, California, where her mother was from.[2] She graduated from Oceanside-Carlsbad Union High School in 1922.[2] There after, she worked at the Union Trust Insurance and the Trust Company in San Diego.[2] Her interactions with lawyers at these two companies encouraged her to take law school correspondence courses from La Salle Extension University in Chicago.[1][3] In 1933, she passed the California Bar Exam but did not work as a lawyer until 1940 due to the Great Depression.

Career in law and as a judge

In 1942, Bradley opened her own practice that specialized in adoptions, domestic relations, probate, and guardianship work. Her interest and enthusiasm for this kind of work led her to chair the Community Welfare Council's Adoption Study Committee which served as an important tool for changing California's adoption laws and gave San Diego County the first license to run an adoption agency.[2] She served as director of the San Diego County Bar Association for two years in the late 1940s.[1][3]

Bradley was appointed to the bench in San Diego County in 1953 by Governor Goodwin J. Knight, the first woman to serve in this capacity.[3] She served this position until her retirement in 1971.[1] During this time, she was re-elected for her position on three separate occasions, winning each election easily.[2]

Bradley died on March 21, 2000, at the age of 95, at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego.[3]

Bradley was given many awards because of her contributions to San Diego. In 1953, the year she was appointed as a judge, she was named San Diego Woman of the Year.[2] She also received several awards from religious groups, service organizations, and the legal community.[1] In 2002, she was inducted into the "Women's Museum of California" Hall of Fame.[1]

In 1995, the Madge Bradley Building, where domestic and probate cases are heard, was named in her honor.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame." Inductees By Year. Web. <http://womensmuseumca.org/whof/Inductees/InducteeByYearWEB.php>.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Criminal Justice Memorial". SDCBA. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Obituary: Madge Bradley; Pioneering Female Judge (March 24, 2000). Los Angeles Times.
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