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<\/p>\nWho was the first American woman patent lawyer? Novelty and priority in time are central to patent law, and it is especially apt to consider the pioneers who expanded diversity in the field. For those who think they know the answer to this question, this post will be surprising. She was Edith Julia Griswold (1863-1926); not, as academic tomes and any Google search suggest, Florence King (1870-1924).<\/p>\n
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The Washington Post<\/em> in 1904 cavalierly described Florence King as \u201cthe only<\/em> woman patent lawyer in this country.\u201d Other newspapers were more circumspect, dubbing her the first<\/em> female patent lawyer. Modern scholars align with Wikipedia<\/a>, and her alma mater Chicago-Kent, in declaring her the First woman to practice patent law in the United States, Florence King (Class of 1895)<\/a>. <\/em>Ironically, the book of True Stories of Women Engineers<\/em> falsely records King was the first woman attorney registered to practice before the Patent Office. None of these claims survives further scrutiny.<\/p>\n The Facts of the Case<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Here is the list of the first female attorneys registered to practice before the U.S. Patent Office:<\/p>\n 26 Griswold, Miss Edith J., 220 Broadway, New York, NY<\/span> The initial number indicates the order of registration, so Edith Griswold was No. 26 (admitted on August 12, 1897) among all attorneys, and Florence King was No. 685.\u00a0 It is interesting to note that Belva Lockwood was No. 198.\u00a0 Lockwood primarily practiced family, estate and criminal law, and was the first woman to argue before the Supreme Court in 1880.\u00a0 She handled patent-related matters now and again, and lived on the same street where the Patent Office was located, so registration was an easy matter to arrange.\u00a0 About 60 women were approved to appear as patent practitioners before the Patent Office between 1897 and 1935, but that did not necessarily mean they were patent attorneys, or even in practice. For many, listing was a costless form of advertisement, not an indicator of specialized patent expertise.<\/p>\n As for Florence King, she was a brilliant general practitioner, who relentlessly sought to expand her practice and income. She was even more adept at generating media attention and publicity, that detracted attention from the achievements of her peers. Numerous papers covered her triumphant defense of a female patent owner, which allegedly drove a big corporation into bankruptcy. In their breathless coverage, she was the only woman patent lawyer on the planet. Instead, as one of her peers observed, \u201cFlorence H. King of Chicago carried on some patent practice in connection with a general law practice.\u201d<\/p>\n Pioneer \u201cEngineer in Petticoats\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Let me now present the case for Edith Griswold, beyond her willingness to rush to stand in bureaucratic lines at the USPTO (surely a good quality in a patent lawyer, though) to be No. 26. She was the first professional woman patent lawyer and patent expert in America: her primary qualifications were in engineering; she read law with a partner in a top patent law firm and also attended law school; and she specialized in patent issues during her entire career. Many women lawyers depended on attracting a female clientele, whereas Griswold\u2019s practice attracted widespread international custom, signalling her status was independent of gender.<\/p>\n Edith Julia Griswold was intrigued by mathematics, science and mechanics as a teenager, and even constructed her own telephone. She attended engineering school, and obtained academic qualifications in civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering.\u00a0 She is frequently commended as a “trailblazer” among engineers, and was included in such compendia as Who\u2019s Who in Engineering<\/em> of 1925 .\u00a0 After graduating, she started working on her own account as a draughts(wo)man for patent drawings, which were improved by her detailed technical knowledge of mechanical and electrical engineering.<\/p>\n
\n198 Lockwood, Belva A., 619 F street, Washington, D. C.<\/span>
\n612 Moran, Miss M. L., Washington, D. C.<\/span>
\n685 King, Florence H., 1564 Monadnock Building, Chicago, Ill<\/span>
\n1324 Brown, Mrs. Flora L., 1037 Unity Building, Chicago, 111.<\/span>
\n1355 Gelston, Emma H., 620 F street NW., Washington, D. C.<\/span>
\n2023 Middleton, Virginia W., 1025 Ninth Street NW., Washington, D. C<\/span>
\n2106 Gibbons, Mary Alice (Miss), 518 West Naverre street, South Bend, Ind.<\/span>
\n2846 Mussey, Ellen S., 470 Louisiana avenue, Washington, D. C<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/zorina-khan\/files\/2021\/09\/florence-king-portrait-e1631671428907-300x274.png\")
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