In celebration of Women’s History Month, Fordham Law is honoring trailblazing graduates who broke barriers and changed the legal profession.
Ruth Whitehead Whaley ’24 was the first Black woman to enroll at and graduate from Fordham Law School and the first Black woman to practice law in New York state. She was also the founder and first president of the Black Business and Professional Women’s Club and the first Black woman to pass the North Carolina bar exam. Learn more about this pathbreaking Fordham Law alumna below.
Ruth Whitehead Whaley’s life is a compelling story of firsts. The first Black woman to enroll at Fordham Law, Whaley graduated at the top of her class in 1924. In 1925, she became the first Black woman to practice law in New York state, and in 1933, she was the first Black woman to practice law in her home state of North Carolina.
Widely regarded as an expert in civil service law, Whaley won several landmark cases in this area. In 1945, she ran for a New York City Council seat as one of the first Black women ever nominated by a major political party in the United States.
She also was the founder and first president of the Black Business and Professional Women’s Club. From 1951 to 1973, she served as secretary of the New York City Board of Estimate, assisting in numerous areas of municipal policy.
Whaley was renowned for the career assistance she provided to aspiring Black lawyers at a time when racial discrimination was rampant in the United States. Today, the Ruth Whitehead Whaley Trailblazing Alumnus Award, instituted in 1979, is awarded by the Black Law Students Association to Fordham Law alumni who “embody Whaley’s bold spirit and commitment to excellence.”