Preview
Description
May Patterson ’13 (1878–1925)
Patterson was one of the first women to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn and, as the New York Times reported, the first of those to actually appear in court. Patterson worked for the Transit Commission and then for the Parks Department before joining the District Attorney’s office in 1923. Known for opposing “the third degree method of extracting confessions from prisoners,” she handled trial and investigative work until her sudden death in 1925 at age forty-seven. Throughout her career, Patterson worked closely in government and in women’s rights and suffrage activity with a cohort of fellow Brooklyn Law School alumnae— including Sarah Stephenson, Amy Wren, Helen McCormick, and Jeannette Brill— who together formed a visible and influential network advancing opportunities for women in the profession. Contemporary notices emphasized both her pioneering courtroom role and her significance within this emerging circle of BLS-trained women.